This World Is Mine, Kokichi Oma
by Basjetball
Summary: After Kokichi died, he is transported back into the past. With a second chance and a second go in the killing game, how will he fare? Will he change? Will anything change at all? Will he have a harem? Will he land a girl? Or will he be hated by everyone? Time to find out.
1. Back to the Starting Point

**After playing through Danganronpa V3, I'm a little disappointed that Kokichi died. Personally, he's one of my favourite characters and I thought he would make it all the way to the end. He's also the most misunderstood character in the game. Even though he played the role of a villain, in the end, he had good intentions.**

 **So, to make things interesting...After Kokichi died, he is transported back into the past. With a second chance and a second go in the killing game, how will he fare? Will he change? Will anything change at all? Will he have a harem? Will he land a girl? Or will he be hated by everyone? Time to find out.**

* * *

 _"The reason why...I pretended to be the mastermind...was to end this boring killing game!"_

Kokichi Oma could only sigh. He was going to get crushed to his death. All his continuous efforts into making him be the mastermind and ending this damn game...it was all over. The real mastermind made a move without him noticing. His lips quirked into a smirk. Well, with his plan, he was about to ruin this killing game and bring the true mastermind and everyone who's watching them true despair! Everyone who died will rest in piece knowing he had done his all and his life to end this game. Still, a part of him wished that he didn't have to die...Even now, he was lying to himself. He looked at his hand, it was shaking a bit. He really did want to live. Closing his eyes...

SPLAT!

* * *

Chapter 1- Back to the Starting Point

Everything was dark. Kokichi had no idea why, was this hell? For all the bad actions he did and all the manipulation he pulled? It couldn't be, the place was just pure darkness. Abruptly, he heard it. His breathing. It shouldn't be there, but he heard it. Was...he alive? No, there was no way he could possibly be alive. He was crushed to death by the hydraulic press and if it wasn't, the poison would've finished him off. Then what was this unease he was feeling in his heart? He tried to reach for his heart and the troubling fact was that he felt his body. Alarm reached his head, this shouldn't be right. Unconscious to him, he had opened his eyes and a small trail of light his eyes. So he tried to reach out for the light.

Bam!

Was something in front of him? Something preventing him from reaching the light? At this point, Kokichi was tired of it all. All the lies, all the betrayal, all the darkness. He wanted out. Now!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

All of a sudden, he was certain he fell. Hopefully, he wasn't falling into the darkness. Pain entered his front of the body, but it only hurt a bit. Only a bit. Tilting his head up, he froze. This place looked eerily familiar. Well, he wasn't exactly familiar with the room he was in, but he was certain he was in the academy. The academy!?

Standing up to his feet, only one thought occurred to him. Why? Why this again? Why did he have to relive everything!? "NO!"

However, something was off. Kokichi knew it the moment he heard _her_ voice. The girl that died from the first class trial.

"How rude! Don't freak out at me like I'm some sort of monster!"

Yes, that's right. The voice that only belonged to Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist.

Quickly, Kokichi turned to her. There was an expression of unease and she seemed angry about his outburst, but there was something about her eyes. She didn't have that look. The look that Kokichi was all so familiar with, the utter loathing everyone had towards him. She was irritated and anxious, but she didn't hate him.

 _Yet._ That's right, Kokichi knew he was going to stick through with his persona, but at the same time, he wanted to be true to himself. The lies were a mechanism of avoiding the harsh reality that occurred in this academy...and unfortunately, that was the same persona he's going to stick with. Still, he was going to think up a new plan. A plan where he can beat the mastermind behind this killing game and not die. Because if there was one thing he was sure of, dying hurt. A lot. He can still remember the pain when his body got crushed by the hydraulic press and how he felt dizzy when the poison was in effect. The poison had him thinking up was down and down was up, but one thought stuck through with him at that time. It was to end this killing game! That same thought was ringing in his head.

"Hey, are you okay? How long are you going to just stare at me?" Kaede asked, interrupting the thoughts of the supreme leader.

Kokichi blinked, he had zoned out and during that time, he tried to gather as much info he could think up of. It turned out he ignored Kaede, which was probably why she glared at him and had her hands on her hips. Was it just him or was Kaede a bit farther from him now?

"Oh sorry," the supreme leader smiled. "It's just that you looked so beautiful". Looking at Kaede's reaction, there was a slight blush. The small teen boy smirked, another push should be fun. "Perhaps it's love at first sight?"

Now, Kaede was blushing at this point. A small push was directed to the smiling boy. In a way, Kokichi was sure it would be fun to add the "I'm kidding" or "It's just a lie, how could you possibly believe that?" part, but seeing a flustered Kaede was more interesting than an irritated Kaede. Nah, it was more fun this way.

Unknowingly to Kokichi, this was just one of the dominos that had fallen. The first encounter between Kokichi and Kaede was just the beginning.

"Anyways," Kaede announced, avoiding eye contact with Kokichi. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you!"

Kokichi nodded, giving her a wink. "Oh, Ultimate Pianist. How interesting!" Then, bringing his hands up to his face and with an innocent expression plastered on his face, "Hey Kaede, can you play me a nice song on the piano sometime?"

His reaction must have been surprising to Kaede, because she replied fidgeting with her thumbs, "Um...no one calls me the Ultimate Pianist. Usually just Piano Freak". Based on her expression, it seemed like she wasn't used to being admired so much. "Ever since I was a child, I would play the piano whenever I got bored. There were even times I played the piano so much, that I would forget to eat and sleep. Eventually I won trophies from concerts and people started praising me. That's about it, what about you?"

Bringing his hands up behind his back, he replied, "Hmmm, mine? Well, I am Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Doesn't it make you cower in fear?"

A small laugh erupted from Kaede. Narrowing his eyes, Kokichi stared at her expression. If he had remembered correctly, she didn't react like this the first time he introduced himself. "Hey, what's so funny? I'm just the supreme leader of an evil secret organization, which has over 10,000 members"

Abruptly, Kaede stopped laughing. She was having trouble believing everything he said. "Supreme leader? Really?"

Putting his hands behind his back, he flashed a grin. "Who knows? I am a liar, after all"

With that reply, Kaede released a small sigh of relief. To her, it seemed like he played a joke on her, because she was certain that he didn't really have any bad intentions.

Kokichi was waiting for her reaction. However, this was not one reaction he had expected from her. Kaede flashed him a smile and ruffled his hair. Of course, she could easily ruffle his hair, she was about six or seven inches taller than him. Not that he cared that he was short. Nope, not at all. "What was that for Kaede?"

"I'm sorry, but there's no way you're evil. I'm not sure why, but it's just a gut feeling. Also, you look so cute! And your hair is so fluffy!"

Unknowingly to him, he blushed and felt a bit hot. Nobody had ever ruffled his hair-no, that was a lie. The last time he remembered his hair was ruffled was from his family. Not his true family, but the nine other pranksters that was in his group. D.I.C.E. Shaking his head, he looked up at Kaede. She was giving him a tender expression. There was also a scrunch of worry on her face that would've gone unnoticed by anyone, but he wasn't just anyone.

"Hey Kokichi, are you okay?"

Before he could reply-

"Rise and shine, ursine-!"

Kokichi blinked. Oh great, the Monokubs. Well, the game was about to start again. That was something he wasn't looking forward to.

* * *

After the Monokubs explained about their circumstance, both Kokichi and Kaede went to explore the school and search for his other classmates. During the exploration, Kokichi thought about everything that had transpired so far. He had managed to partner up with Kaede on his first encounter, rather than Kiibo. Hey, he wasn't complaining. He preferred Kaede over Kiibo's company. There's nothing harsh about that. Originally, Shuichi partnered up with Kaede and they had developed an instant friendship from the get go. Instead, it was him. Now that he thought about it, this timeline didn't match the same as the last timeline. Does this mean the Mastermind from his timeline different than the Mastermind in this timeline? Nah, it couldn't be. It's probably minor and subtle differences, so there was no need to suspect a different Mastermind unless there was major changes shown by Monokuma. The possible suspects are Kiibo, Shuichi, Maki, Tsumugi and Himiko. The irritating aspect was that since he had died, he truly had no idea which of the five is the mastermind and if his plan succeeded. Kaito was definitely not the mastermind, as he was too idiotic, was poisoned with him and the mastermind acted without Kaito and him noticing.

"Kokichi, are you okay? You seem lost in thought. Anything you want to share with?" the girl next to him asked, grabbing his shoulder.

Shaking his head, the Supreme Leader smiled. "I appreciate the concern, but it's basically baseless assumptions. There's nothing so far, but you'll be the first one I tell once I find out"

The pianist flashed him a weird look. She probably didn't understand what was coming from his mouth, but it was okay. At this point, Kokichi really needed to articulate his thoughts and deductions.

As Kokichi tried to gather his thoughts, Kaede quickly glanced to the person walking to her right. He must be thinking really hard. She wondered what he could possibly be thinking about? Additionally, the silence was unnerving. Spotting a blue hair girl in front of him, Kaede elbowed Kokichi.

"Ow! Kaede, you meanie! What's that for?"

The pianist smiled. "It's time we introduce ourselves to everyone"

* * *

The supreme leader sighed and tried to organize all the new info he got from his first encounters with the first four people. Tsumugi's first encounter was similar to that of an air-headed idiot. Interesting enough, they had met Kiibo and Shuichi in a classroom that looked familiar to Kokichi. So, it seemed like Shuichi and himself had switched roles. He really wondered how Shuichi would progress if he didn't have Kaede alongside him. That would be an interesting thing to find out. Kiibo was plain old Kiibo. After leaving the classroom, they had encountered Maki. Scary, cold and silent Maki. The type to strangle him to death. She even used the same bullshit that she was a child caregiver. Nothing about her screamed that she was good with children. So, Kokichi tried to hint that it was possible she was hiding her true Ultimate talent and he stated that she didn't even resemble a child caregiver. She answered with a typical cold, "Do you want to die?" Another surprising thing was Kaede had got in between them and tried to protect Kokichi from Maki. Then, Kaede pulled him away from the classroom and back into the hallway.

"Oh Kokichi, you shouldn't provoke people," Kaede reprimanded. "Who knows what she would've done to you?"

"Oh, but messing with people is just so much fun!" Kokichi flashed a grin and bringing a finger up to his lips he asked, "Do you really think she's a child caregiver? She could be lying? I mean, you think she resembles more of an assassin than a child caregiver? Right?"

Kaede froze in her tracks. "Um...I guess you're right. She does resemble more of an assassin than a child caregiver, but you didn't have to say that to her"

The small teen smirked. "You think so too. Man, the way she looks at us was just way too cold. Now, we know there's someone here we have to avoid"

The pianist looked down at her feet. She didn't seem like she want to blatantly avoid anyone. "I guess so"

Putting his hands behind his back, he flashed a grin. "Now, let's go find our other classmates"

* * *

The next person they met was Ryoma who was at the game room. As usual, he didn't have anything to live for. They introduced themselves and after the quick exchange, they met up a certain blonde teen in the hallway.

"Oh hey there. You guys get kidnapped too? Well, you both look alright. That's good. The situation could be better"

"Yeah...totally" Kaede replied.

Before the blonde boy could say anything, Kokichi blurted out, "What's your talent? Is it something cool?"

The pianist was astonished how direct Kokichi went about his question. Asking a question out of nowhere. Well, they did have to find out his talent eventually, but he went at it the first moment he got, which was way different from how he reacted to the other four and...herself. Perhaps, he was getting impatient, but he had asked for the blonde's talent in his first encounter over his name.

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember how I got here. I also forgot...my own talent. Phew, I'm in trouble. I know I must have been some kind of Ultimate, I just don't remember"

With a finger on his lips, Kokichi nodded. "Well, if you do find out, make sure to come tell us. Being an Ultimate with an unknown talent can be quite dangerous, especially here". Then, bringing his hands out, "I advise you to be extra careful"

"I appreciate the advice," the blonde boy smiled. Then, bringing a hand up, "Anyways, my name is Rantaro Amami"

Kokichi grabbed the hand immediately. "Kokichi Oma"

For some reason, Kaede felt like she was left out of the loop. Almost like there was something going on between Rantaro and Kokichi. Hopefully, she was wrong. "Oh, and my name's Kaede Akamatsu"

* * *

Kaede and himself then went to the dining hall and had encountered Tenko and Himiko. Tenko was sprouting about degenerate males such as himself and Himiko was talking about her magic. It was the usual types of conversation he expected from them. After their introduction, they went on their way and to the warehouse. Kokichi noticed a certain bimbo from the start. Miu Iruma. She was rummaging through a shelf with different chemicals. Before he could say anything to her, Kaede called out.

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

She turned around angrily, "Don't sneak up on me, bitch!"

Kokichi gave a small laugh. Luckily, it went unnoticed. The true bitch was Miu herself. "Hey, you shouldn't talk to Kaede like that!"

Turning her eyes toward the playful teen, she looked at Kokichi. "Hey crotchrot, you staring at my tits?"

With a scoff, Kokichi looked at his nails. "Who would ever look at you? I mean, Kaede here is wayyyy better"

His reply got Kaede blushing and Miu shrank back, "H-H-Her? What the fuck does she got that I don't? T-Tell the world you're sorry!"

The boy in question rolled his eyes. "Come on Kaede, let's go," he grabbed Kaede's arm. "I don't think there's anyone here we need to know"

The pianist looked at the boy, as he was grabbing her away. "Surely, this must be another one of your lies right?"

The supreme leader shook his head. "Your beauty is not something I can lie about, even though I do lie keke"

Kaede blushed. Kokichi was certain, a flustered Kaede sure was fun.

Miu must have seen the scene and she looked sheepish. "H-h-hey. Don't forget about m-me," she muttered. "I'm the great Miu Iruma! The Ultimate Inventor!"

"Kokichi Oma," he declared and went towards the exit, grabbing Kaede.

"Kaede Akamatsu," the girl being grabbed said, following the boy's response and action.

A few steps towards the exit, Kokichi flashed Miu a smirk and a wink. Luckily, Kaede did not notice and then they both left the warehouse, leaving a flabbergasted Miu.

* * *

As they left, Kaede couldn't stop thinking about the boy. Sure, he was mischievous, but she was certain that he wasn't evil. An hour ago, she was walking in front of him and he probably deliberately slowed down, so he was behind her. He had tapped her on his left shoulder and when the pianist turned to her left, he wasn't there. Kokichi immediately popped up on her right, grabbed her right arm, gave her an innocent smile and announced that he fooled her. He was just so playful and free, she was a bit jealous. All of a sudden, an idea popped up. She should try the trick that Kokichi had pulled on her. Noticing her shoelaces were untied, this was an opportunity to strike. "My shoelaces are untied. You can go up ahead, I can catch up to you"

"Hmm, I could just wait for you" he stopped in his tracks.

She shook her head. "No, I insist. I'll be done in a few seconds"

With a quick shrug, the boy nodded. "I'll walk really slow, so you can catch up, ya know?"

The pianist nodded. Then, she quickly tied her shoelaces and tapped on his left shoulder. Quickly maneuvering to her right, she was certain that Kokichi would've fallen for the same trick he had done on her, but she was wrong. Kokichi had turned to his right and spotted Kaede. "Oh Kaede, you're done. That's good". The same innocent expression was plastered on his face and she noticed the sparkle in his eyes. _How?_

"Oh cute Kaede, sometimes you got to expect the unexpected"

It didn't make sense. She could've been genuine and he would've looked to his right. Somehow, that made her a bit frustrated, though she wasn't going to display that frustration. Hands on her hips, she asked, "How did you know I would pull out your trick? And I could've been legitimately been on your left side"

She noticed how he grinned and put his arms behind his head. "Oh, I'm just lying~ya know, there was no way for me to know that you would pull out my trick. To be honest, I'm astonished that you would do such a thing"

Kaede couldn't believe it. Then how did he know? Or was he just lying and actually knew that this was what she intended from the start. Almost as if he could read her mind, he shook his head.

"Ah, don't worry about it. The only reason I knew is because this area is so bright and I noticed your shadow on the right. I mean, I do got some amazing eyes," he replied. Then he stuck out his tongue, "Better luck next time Kaede!"

The blonde stared at him. He had just bested her. "You're no fun," she replied with a pout and looked the other way, while a happy Kokichi laughed.

* * *

As they went outside, they spotted a purple haired boy. _Kaito._ Truly, Kokichi really did feel for him. It was very unfortunate that he was going to die due to an illness, but he had to give it to him. The guy sure was persistent. A thought struck up. Unless he doesn't have the illness. Perhaps this Kaito doesn't have the illness, but someone else? Maybe he himself had the cure to whatever illness he had and he was the true mastermind. He shook his head, nah, Kaito was an idiot. There was no way he could even think up of a plan. In fact, he probably messed up Kokichi's plan somewhere along the road.

"Yo, I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut! How bout it? I'm an astronaut! Isn't that cool!?"

"Y-Yeah...I've never been to space, so I don't know much about it" Kaede replied.

With a thumbs up and a wink, he smiled. "Haha! Well, of course! Not just anyone can go up there! I may be an astronaut, but I'm actually still in training"

"Oh a trainee," Kokichi laughed. "How lame and here I thought, you were an actual Astronaut"

"Laugh all you want, because Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars will reach space one day! And it will be a blast!"

As the conversation continued, Kokichi sighed. Only four more people left that he had to introduce himself to. This was a bit boring and tiring.

* * *

They had finally met up the last four classmates. Kirumi introduced herself as a maid and how it was her duty to fulfill the desire of others. Hopefully, Kirumi lasts a lot longer than last time. He really did miss her cooking and thus she was definitely one of the most useful students here unlike some like Kiibo, Tenko and Himiko. Gonta was as nice as he last remembered him. Korekiyo was weird and scary, which was not surprising. Last, Angie talked about the worshipped Atua, which was obviously baloney.

Currently, Kaede and himself were walking in a park. It was nice, but he had something to do. Kaede hadn't looked back to him in quite a while, it could still be that she was salty about her failed little mischief. She had came up with another idea a few minutes ago, but he was the king of pranks. No way was he falling for such an easy idea. But still, this was also a golden opportunity. This was his chance to establish some relationships before the killing game actually occurs, which could be quite an advantage to have. For now, he only needs to avoid Kiibo, Shuichi, Himiko, Tsumugi and Maki, as they are the only suspects. A few classmates would be quite beneficial, such as Kaede, Miu, Kirumi and Rantaro. Especially Rantaro, since he was the only one here with an unknown talent and it's quite conceivable the mastermind would want him gone. With Kaede's back towards him and probably huffed cheeks, Kokichi took this as a perfect opportunity to find Miu, Kirumi or Rantaro for a private conversation.

* * *

"Hey dickwad, what the hell are you here for!?" Miu angrily asked.

"Hmm, is it possible someone here missed me? Jealous that he walked away with another girl?" Kokichi countered her with another question. "Relax, I'm only here for a nice conversation"

"I-I wasn't jealous. Who the hell would be jealous of you, ya shorty!"

Kokichi frowned. Another instance someone mentioned his height. Why did Kaede and Miu have to be six to seven inches taller than him? The fact that he had to look up to them was quite embarrassing and annoying. The embarrassing part was directed to Kaede, as she started to develop a habit of ruffling his hair and the annoying part was directed to Miu, as she would probably mention his short height anytime she could. Still, he had something to do and that comment shouldn't get in the way.

"Oh relax. Anyways, I have a certain proposition for you," he smiled. "I would like to propose an alliance?"

"Why the fuck should I be in an alliance with someone as shoddy as you?" Miu angrily asked. "Hell nah!"

Kokichi gave her a pout and it worked to some extent. Her expression relaxed a bit. "Anyways, I'm Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. If we team up, we can get out of here alive. With my brains and your inventions, we'll be out of here in no time. I need you and your inventions. Face it, I need you and you need me, if we are to survive here"

With his explanation, he eyed Miu and she was blushing and panting heavily. "N-need. You n-n-need me?"

Kokichi wanted to face-palm himself. Of course, this bimbo only got that part of his explanation. Well, whatever, as long as he could get her as an ally. Hopefully, she doesn't do anything drastic such as killing him. Maybe he could add in another condition? With a gleeful fake look, he grabbed Miu's hand. "Perhaps another condition? I swear I won't kill you, as long as you don't kill me?"

The severity behind that statement got Miu to stop fantasizing. "Huh? You brat! Were you trying to kill me!? You think I was gonna kill ya? The great Miu Iruma stooping so low to kill a shorty like ya? Ya must have hit your head hard!"

With a shrug, Kokichi looked at her. "We're kidnapped, who knows what our kidnappers want us to do? I'm just telling you to trust me, I really do want to get out of here with everyone, but I need faithful allies and some help. That's where you come in with your wondrous inventions". On the inside, Kokichi felt like vomiting. The amount of compliments given to Miu was too much. Perhaps way too much, compared to his original timeline. Still, he couldn't deny that she was extremely useful. The Electrohammers and the remote to control the Exisals had given him a lot of power and control, something that should have made Monokuma panic. Miu had to be on his side, if he were to beat the true Mastermind. With a tilt of his head and his hand in front of her, he asked, "So you want to team up?". Another idea came up to his head, it was painful, but he had to solidify this partnership. "The amazing Miu"

The hand was immediately grabbed. "Ya got yourself an amazing ally in Miu Iruma! You should be grateful". Miu was blushing like a rose and she refused to look in his direction as she shook his hand.

Plastering on a fake smile, "Thank you amazing Miu Iruma"

Her cheeks reddened even more if it was possible. Well, the supreme leader didn't care. He finished his negotiation and hopefully Miu stuck to her word. Turning his back to the door, he was just about to leave, when a hand pulled him back.

"What about that bitch? The blonde bitch that was besides you?"

Kokichi smirked. "Jealous, are you?"

"N-n-no. If we're in an alliance, it's obvious she's excluded right!?"

Kokichi placed a hand on her shoulder. "She will be in our alliance. Oh, try not to worry. I need her guidance as my partner and your inventions as the amazing inventor"

"Y-y-you're plotting a harem!" Miu screamed.

Kokichi wondered. Would it be more fun to agree or deny that statement? Maybe an ambiguous answer would work much better. "Maybe, should I?"

Looking back, his answer clearly left Miu dumbfounded and she released her hold on his hand. Reaching for the door, he turned back. "Even though I need you, don't forget I'm the brains of the operation"

As he left the room, Miu was blushing like crazy and fantasized about the shorty known as Kokichi Oma.

* * *

Kaede had no idea how this happened. One minute, she was just walking ahead, clearly a tiny bit irritated at the short boy. Then, all of a sudden, he disappeared. Was it her? Did he not enjoy her company, so he left for greener pastures? Or was this another one of his pranks?

Looking around, she couldn't spot him. Where could he possibly be? She was so preoccupied with finding him, a certain someone crept up to her. Before she could notice what was going on, someone tackled her with a hug from behind.

"Kaede!"

She didn't even need to turn around in order to find out who that was. Kokichi. She was glad he was safe, but he nearly gave her a heart attack!

"Kokichi, where have you been?" she asked, irritation seeping through her question. She clearly did not enjoy getting a near heart attack or spending the past few minutes searching for him.

"I got lost during the way. Luckily, I found you!"

Kaede had been with him for a while. He could definitely have been lying, but one fact was certain. He was genuinely glad that he found her, which means he didn't hate her. He didn't leave her, because he was bored of her. No, Kokichi wouldn't do that to her. His innocent and happy expression was probably contagious, because she flashed a smile back to him.

Bing Bong!

A monitor of the Monokubs came up.

"Hiiii! Thanks for bear-ing with us!"

"Kept you bastards waiting, huh?"

"Everyone, make your way to the gym please"

"The opening ceremony can finally begin!"

"Phew. We finally finished our preparations!"

"You do realize you just read your lines backwards, don't you?"

"So long! Bear-well!"

The monitor closed.

"Let's head to the gym," Kaede said. She was curious of what was waiting for them all in the gym.

Kokichi nodded.

As they walked to the gym, Kokichi kept thinking about his whole circumstance. No way was the mastermind and Monokuma going to win this game. He was sure of it. He'll end this game with his own two hands.

* * *

 **Well that's chapter 1. I hope you guys like it! Review, as any feedback would be encouraging! Any thoughts/opinions?**


	2. Voting Results

**Well I'm back at it with the second chapter. It is short compared to the first chapter, but it was a one day release. So, I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2- Voting Results

They had all gathered in the gym. This time around, Kokichi was more inclined to watch and see how everything played out. He watched how everyone reacted to the Exisals, the Monokubs and the arrival of Monokuma. To everyone in the gym, this should be frightening and worrisome. With his face full of despair, he did a good job of fooling everyone that he too was scared out of his wits. In reality, he just wanted to end this damn killing game, but showing certain type of emotions could be dangerous. Especially a look of determination here. There was definitely the mastermind lurking inside this group.

"I want you students with your Ultimate-level talents to participate in a killing game!" Monokuma declared.

That sentence made Kokichi's blood boil.

"K-killing game? Us?" Kaede asked. She looked like she couldn't believe such a thing.

"Please stop joking!" Kiibo shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Monokuma. "Why would we agree to participate in a killing game?"

Monokuma tilted his head in an innocent fashion. "Huh? You guys don't wanna do it?"

"C-Course not! Gentlemen not hurt people!"

Monokuma smiled. "But if you've looked around the academy, then you already know don't you? The academy is surrounded by a huge wall. You can't escape to the outside world. And as long as we have the Exisals, you can't defy us. In other words, I hold the power of life and death over each and every one of you"

"So do what you say if we don't want to die" Rantaro pointed out.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me!" Tenko exclaimed, "Why would friends kill each other!?"

"Who said you guys were friends?" Monokuma laughed. "You guys aren't friends at all, but rather enemies out to kill each other"

"E-Enemies," Shuchi stuttered.

As Kokichi watched the situation with calculating eyes, he noticed two pair of eyes on him. Miu and Kaede. The teen boy wasn't sure why they were so attentive on him, perhaps they thought he was going to betray them?

Miu blinked and shouted, "Wait! I already have an alliance with-"

The moment the supreme leader heard "alliance" from Miu's mouth, he had to react. This bimbo was going to get him killed and targeted this early in the game! Back in his original timeline, he had fallen under the radar at first. Now...that damn Miu! "Kekeke, that's right. I saw our dear Miu talking about an alliance with Kiibo here. They're already plotting something behind our backs"

Once he finished his lie, he saw Miu about to retort, except one harsh glare and a fake smile told her not to push it any further. With his hands behind his head, he continued. "We should like, watch out for those two. Some people here act all nice, but their true self may be that of a murderer"

As he observed everyone, everyone was stiff as a board. Especially Miu and Kaede. Perhaps they were truly starting to fear him? Ah, that was a shame. He had enjoyed the company of Kaede.

"That's wrong!" Kiibo announced. "I have never discussed an alliance with Miu!"

With a tilt of his head, the small boy glanced at Kiibo. "Are you sure? You could be lying. I mean, how suspicious is the fact that you are the only non-human here"

Kaede got in between Kiibo and Kokichi. "Stop it everyone! We shouldn't doubt each other"

"How do we know you're not lying!?" Kiibo pointed an accusatory finger to Kokichi. "I was with Shuichi the whole time!"

Shuichi nodded. "Kokichi must be lying"

The other classmates watched the scene with curiosity and confusion. They had no idea who was lying. Even Monokuma was fully engaged in the scene between the boys.

At the same time, Kokichi cursed himself under his breath. He had made a careless mistake, since he forgot Shuichi was with Kiibo the whole time and should have a solid alibi. His habit of blaming everything on Kiibo was the wrong move in this situation.

The moment Kiibo and Shuichi started accusing Kokichi, Kaede snapped. She knew the boy wouldn't do such a thing! "You're wrong! I was with him the whole time! He wouldn't lie!"

At this point, Kokichi was shocked. She was defending him earnestly, but she did slip up...Man, both girls slipped up with their speeches.

Shuichi was the first one to point it out. "I was with Kiibo the whole time, so he couldn't have met up with Miu. However, Kaede said she was with Kokichi the whole time, but Kokichi said that only he himself saw Miu talk with Kiibo. So, one of them is lying"

The teen boy sighed. That was where Kaede messed up, but the action afterwards appalled the supreme leader. Indeed it was something new and intriguing. Kaede was glaring at Shuichi. The glare must've made Shuichi nervous, because he brought his hat down a little to avoid looking into her eyes. It was definitely quite ironic to see the two oppose each other, since they were _so_ close in his own timeline.

"Yeah that's right! There's a flaw in your statement!" Kiibo declared, pointing at Kaede. "It couldn't have been me!"

Well, the lying boy had a solid response in return. He was going to lie, but maybe he didn't need to. Maybe a half-truth, half-lie would work in this situation. "Kaede and I actually did get separated at one point. When I got separated, I spotted Kiibo proposing an alliance to Miu"

Kaede nodded in agreement, remembering the one instance where they did get separated. "It's true, we both got separated at one point during our walk"

"Impossible, it couldn't have been me!" Kiibo shouted. As he shouted, there were a few murmurs of agreements that it couldn't have been Kiibo.

Well, Kokichi did have another card in his sleeve. The only problem was that it could blow up in front of his face. He turned to his left. Miu was petrified, almost as if she couldn't believe the conversation that was taking place. Obviously, Miu would know that he was lying, but if Miu lied, he would get away scot-free, leaving Kiibo with the backlash. "Why don't we ask Miu?"

"Affirmative. She would provide the correct answer in this situation!"

With a sharp glance directed at Miu, Kokichi kindly asked, "Hey _Miu,_ who did you converse with? _Kiibo_ or _me?_ " Inside his mind, Kokichi was actually thinking, ' _Bitch, you better not mess this up! You alone got me in this mess'_

Miu recoiled in shock, almost as if she could read Kokichi's mind and it was not pleasant. "Um...sorry Kiibo, but you were the one who proposed the alliance. So, damn it! Own up to it!"

Kiibo stared at Miu, horrified. It was as if he got slapped _hard._ "N-no way!" Kiibo was visibly shaken by the news.

"Huh? I refuse to believe it! Because I believe in Kiibo and Shuichi!" Kaito announced, bumping his own fists. "If Kiibo said he didn't do it, he didn't do it!"

Once again, it was the hopeful idiot Kaito. Something told him that in this universe, Kaito and Shuichi will still remain friends. With one hand out, Kokichi scoffed. "So, where's your proof?"

"I don't need proof to believe in my friends!" Kaito declared. "And that goes for all of you here!"

With Kaito's declaration, Kiibo seemed to take solace in his words and stopped looking down in his feet. At the same time, Shuichi had repositioned his hat, moving it up.

"Upupupu, sorry to interrupt this entertaining show, but I need to continue on with the rules of this killing game!" Monokuma asserted himself back into the conversation.

Monokuma continued to talk about the rules of the game, the class trials, the Academy for Gifted Juveniles and punishment and executions. It was all so boring to Kokichi, but he had to hear it once again.

Little did Kokichi knew that his big scene before had got him the attention of a certain someone, which would change the whole outcome of this game.

* * *

Somewhere in the real world, the people watching this year's cast of Danganronpa were excited. There were quite a few characters that have stood out from the bunch before the game even started. They had made a solid first impression to these viewers.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

As the votes came through, the results of the surveys will soon be shown. There were three surveys, the favorite character, the character most likely to survive Danganronpa and the most likely to commit the next murder.

 _Top 3 Most Likely To Survive_

1st- Rantaro Amami

2nd- Kokichi Oma

3rd- Maki Harukawa

 _Top 3 Favorite Characters_

1st- Kaede Akamatsu

2nd- Kokichi Oma

3rd- Kaito Momota

 _Top 3 Most Likely To Commit The Next Murder_

1st- Kiibo

2nd- Maki Harukawa

3rd- Korekiyo Shinguji

* * *

 **Well, that's chapter two. As you can see, Kokichi being paired with Kaede and Shuichi with Kiibo would create a few changes in this story, especially with how each of these characters interact with each other. Each of their influences are starting to take shape. Kaede has gotten more playful and Shuichi has lost an important influence in Kaede that had helped progressed his characters and his feelings about the truth.**

 **As for the voting results, these are only based on first impressions. Kokichi's strategic manaeuvers and playful personality got him in the top 3 for most likely to survive and as a favorite. Kaede is a favorite for her caring personality and her playful nature to Kokichi. Kaito is liked for his trusting nature. As for Rantaro, the audience had seen him in play with his last killing game. Now for Kiibo...he is the Audience's Surrogate so Kiibo/Audience got blamed out of nowhere. Even though Kokichi is a favorite character in these surveys, there are some haters out there for his actions just now. Anyways, these surveys could be a foreshadow or nothing of it. It's up to you on how you feel about it.**

 **From here on out, it's going to get interesting. Review about your thoughts on this chapter. Any predictions on the next murderer? Any feeling about this chapter?**

 **Well, that's a wrap for chapter two. Until next time!**


	3. From Two to Five?

**It's the third chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3- From Two to Five?

"Now then, unleash your talents and have a happy, homicidal, horrific, hilarious killing game!" Monokuma announced.

"W-Wait just a minute!" Kaede interrupted. "No matter what you say, we won't do it! We'll never participate in a killing game! Whatever you have planned, I'm not gonna let you get away with it!"

Kokichi could only sigh. It was possible that this scene painted her as a larger threat to the Mastermind.

Monokuma only laughed. "I welcome your resistance! That kinda defiant spirit is important to the killing game. It's fun to watch the defiant ones eventually snap, and get their hands dirty"

The supreme leader shook his head. In fact, it was true. Kaede had snapped to the point, where she tried to kill the mastermind in his timeline. She had fallen for the mastermind's trap and as a result, they lacked a lot of potential information from Rentaro. The mastermind had managed to kill two birds with one stone.

"Wh-What do you mean by that?"

Monokuma smiled at Kaede. "As the headmaster, it's my job to force you to do it. Ahahaha!"

Then, Monokuma and the Monkubs left the gym, leaving the students shocked from the whole situation.

With the Monopads, the other students looked at the regulations. There were quite a few conversations about these rules, until one stood out from the rest.

"Hey, hey! What does this sixth regulation mean?" Angie cheerfully asked. "The killing game and class trials will continue until only two surviving students remain. Only two surviving students? What would be the reason for that?"

"It's because we couldn't do a class trial with just two people," Kokichi answered, although he felt an intense gaze looking his way by Miu. Perhaps she was angry about the fact that he had pinned it on her a few moments ago or she was starting to become aware that his alliance of three wouldn't work. Either way, Kokichi had a possible counter to that rule, which might just work.

* * *

"Damn brat!" Miu yelled, hitting the wall next to Kokichi's head. Bam! "Why'd you throw me under the bus!?"

The boy in question rolled his eyes. Of course, she didn't understand what she had just done. She had nearly blown his cover. There was no need to reveal anything this early in the game.

"You going to answer me!? Or do I have to punch your brains out!"

' _Man, this continuous yelling is gonna get me a headache,'_ Kokichi mentally groaned. Luckily, he had chosen a private spot that should be away from the other Ultimates, but being overheard could be dangerous. Maybe he was starting to think Miu was more trouble than she was worth.

"Well, Miu," Kokichi said, hands in his pockets. "Why don't you tell me what you did wrong?"

"H-h-huh? I d-did nothing wrong!" Miu exclaimed.

Narrowing his eyes, Kokichi smiled and took a step forward while tilting his head innocently. "Oh~really?"

At that point, Miu took a step back and looked away.

"When you mentioned ' _alliance'_ , you were going to mention my name. Isn't that correct?"

Miu still refused to look in Kokichi's direction. "W-well, yeah. But didn't you say we were allies!?"

"I did, but it was supposed to be a secret."

Realizing what she had just done, she looked down at the floor with a blush evident on her expressions. "O-o-oh. Um-my bad."

Once again, the teen boy stared hard at Miu. She probably misunderstood his statement once again. "Anyways, don't do anything that draws attention to yourself or me. And everything we do or say is going to be a secret, capeesh?

Finally looking at his direction, Miu bowed his head to the boy. "Got it master!"

Pretending to ignore the last part, he decided now was a good time to leave the area.

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Opening the door to his room, Kokichi spotted Kaede outside. "Yo Kaede, what's up?"

Kaede was twiddling her thumbs. "Um, I was hoping we could talk to each other about today and everything."

The door was all the way out. "Feel free to come in, I don't mind listening."

The pianist strode to his bed and sat down. "I was just wondering how you feel about this killing game? And...my actions today?"

Hand on his chin, Kokichi smirked. "You were quite noble out there. People are looking up to you, although your defiance against Monokuma might make you a target. As for my feelings about the killing game, it sounds fun!"

A gasp could be heard. Maybe Kaede hadn't expected Kokichi to act this way. Before she could pull away in disgust or leave, Kokichi leaned in and quietly whispered to her ear, "I'm going to play this smart. I _promise_ you that I will not kill anyone with my own two hands, but in order to beat this game, I need to corner the mastermind"

Before he knew it, he saw Kaede's shaking hand. "P-Please tell me this is another one of your lies!"

"Nope"

Kaede gritted her teeth. "We could get out of here with everyone!"

With a quick shake of his head, the supreme leader sighed. "You know why I didn't follow you guys? It's because whatever path you guys took wasn't going to lead us out of here, especially with a mastermind lurking nearby. If this person spent so much time on a killing game, why would they allow us to even leave? Don't you think one of us here is the mastermind behind this all?"

The pianist seemed lost for words. After a few seconds, she sighed. "Is that why you didn't come with us? You don't trust everyone here?"

"Exactly," Kokichi nodded. "And it turns out, I wasn't the only one. Miu didn't join you guys in the underground path either. So, how did that go?"

There was no reply, until a soft mutter could be heard.

A hand was placed on Kaede's shoulder. "Oh dear Kaede, you can be a bit naive. Not everyone will have the same idealistic thoughts as you. I know we haven't been together for long, but I trust you Kaede. Hopefully you trust me as well."

Then, Kaede was enveloped in a hug. To Kaede, it was comforting and before she knew it, Kokichi had whispered something to her while he hugged her. The message was clear and concise.

" _We're being watched._ "

* * *

The next morning, everyone gathered in the dining hall. Before anyone knew about it, Monokuma appeared from the ceiling.

"Everyone, I have an announcement!"

"Sorry Monokuma, but I also have to ask you a request"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Kokichi Oma.

"Hmm, you again?" Monokuma appeared puzzled. "What's your request?"

"Don't you think two survivors are way too little? Perhaps we should increase that number to three, four or possibly five?"

Monokuma stared hard at Kokichi. "Now, why would I do something like that?"

Kokichi gave Monokuma an innocent smile. "If someone were to die today, would you consider the offer?"

Several gasps could be heard. Miu and Kaede looked away from Kokichi. Angie, Tenko and Himiko were shaking their heads. Kaito glared at Kokichi, "You bastard!"

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed. "Well, I was going to offer you guys an interesting motive. The first blood perk. But we can take your suggestion. Like Kokichi said, if someone dies today, I'll increase the number of survivors from two to five!"

With that said, Monokuma left the dining hall.

Before anyone could say anything, Kokichi gave a devious laugh. "Hear that everyone? From two survivors to five! Our chances of survival increase if someone here just murders someone!"

"Stop fucking around!"

Bam!

The impact of the punch could be felt by everyone. Kokichi laid on the ground, a red bruise on his cheek.

"Why the fuck would you encourage killing!?" Kaito roared.

Weirdly enough, Kaito's actions were approved by some of his classmates. Maki clapped to show her appreciation of his actions. Kiibo congratulated Kaito for taking the correct action against Kokichi. Shuichi nodded in agreement. Angie declared it was Atua's will, which made Kokichi be a punching bag. Tenko cheered, "Show that degenerate male!"

While there were some fervour for Kaito's action, Kaede and Miu felt sick. Almost as if they were punched in the face. Himiko closed her eyes, as if she couldn't stand the sight of blood. Gonta couldn't believe what he was seeing.

However, the remaining students such as Ryoma, Kirumi, Korekiyo, Rantaro and Tsumugi had chosen to remain silent and neutral.

"Hahaha! You really think I'm to blame for everything!? Monokuma just admitted he was offering us the first blood perk to convince some idiot to commit murder. The only thing I did was change his offer!" Kokichi hysterically laughed. This was too funny, he was going to be shunned and hated by everyone again. Why? Because he was thinking realistic, not idealistic. "All I hear about is how everyone would work together. Open your damn eyes! How many here actually want someone to die today!?"

There was silence for a while, until somebody spoke up.

"Isn't it suspicious Monokuma changed his offer the moment Kokichi proposed it? Also, why would Kokichi even propose an offer to Monokuma?" Shuichi spoke up, deep in thought. "I think Kokichi is the most suspicious person here"

"Yeah, that's right!" Kaito nodded his head, bumping his own fists.

"Affirmative," Kiibo added in.

"That's right, because he's a degenerate male!"

"My magic tells me he is the most suspicious"

"Atua believes Kokichi is the most suspicious here."

Well, this was nothing new to Kokichi. He was used to being hated, but this early in the game...Dang. It was also an opportunity for him to introduce himself as the mastermind, but there was no need to repeat a mistake twice. The real mastermind would start to get threatened by his presence. In some way, he should had went under the radar this early in the game, but attention had now been drawn to him.

"I don't think he's suspicious," Kaede interrupted. "Uh...He's looking out for us...in his own way."

Most of the people were shocked that Kaede was protecting Kokichi. To many of them, she talked back against Monokuma, encouraged everyone and led everyone to try to complete the underground tunnel. The group of boys, which included Kiibo, Shuichi and Kaito were especially shocked by her statement.

"Y-yeah! The bitch is right!" Miu added in.

The pianist flashed her a look of annoyance, which the inventor sent her a glare in return.

Maybe it was weird and different to Kokichi, but the feeling of being supported amidst the chaos made him feel truly happy. Like those times with his nine other D.I.C.E members, which were like family to him. Before he knew it, a trace of a genuine smile slipped past his mask for a few seconds.

* * *

As the three of them walked back to their rooms, Kokichi was certain that the two girls behind him were eying, glaring or whatever at each other. Maybe it was directed to him.

"Why are we going back to our dorms?" Kaede asked. "It's still daytime, you know?"

"Yeah!" Miu added in. "Why's that!?"

Kokichi was pretty certain they knew, or they didn't want to face the reality of this predicament. Before he knew it, Kaede had grabbed his left arm. An instant later, Miu had grabbed his right arm. If any of his other classmates were here to witness this scene, they would probably have thought he was a player.

A minute later, they had reached their destination. "So let's go to Kaede's room," Kokichi decided.

With a nod from Kaede, they went into her room. A tense silence followed for a few seconds, until Kaede broke the silence.

"So, what are here for?" Kaede asked.

"Oh~nothing much. We're just here for your safety, since someone might kill today. We never know," Kokichi replied, hands in his pockets. "Stay here for the whole day and don't open that door for anyone and that includes me"

"Wait! You're not going to be with us!?" Miu exclaimed, face full of anguish.

"Yeah, I got some business outside," the boy nonchalently replied. "Well, don't kill each other. Literally. I know the other person here is guilty if one of you end up dead."

"W-we'll starve to death," Miu wailed. "What will we even do?"

"Don't worry, I brought snacks," Kokichi smiled, pointing at the backpack. "I managed to sneak some snacks into Kaede's backpack."

Kaede quickly grabbed her backpack and indeed there were full of snacks inside her backpack.

"Whoa!"

"How?"

Tongue out, the supreme leader then smirked. "This is child's play for me. Well, I better head out."

Before he could go, Kaede had grabbed his arm. "Wait, you're not going to murder anyone, are you?"

With a quick wink and smirk, he replied, "Of course not. I'm just going to talk to some people. Still, you girls shouldn't leave this room for the whole day."

"Yeah, yeah. We know," Miu huffed. "Go ahead and do your thing, but make sure you don't die brat!"

Ignoring the latter part of Miu's speech, the supreme leader left the room. A few seconds later, he wondered how well the two girls would coexist with each other.

* * *

"Hmm, you wanted to talk to me?" Rantaro asked. After a closer look at the boy, he placed his hand on his chin. "Hmm, are you here to propose something?"

"Hahaha," was the short boy's response. "You know me quite well Rantaro. I'm just here to tell you to lock yourself until the day's over."

"Hmm..it does make sense, considering the circumstance, but this motive only helps people who don't kill. In other words, this isn't really a motive for anyone to commit murder."

Rantaro made a solid point. It was true that this motive doesn't truly inspire anyone here to kill someone, but he didn't know if the mastermind wanted Rentaro gone. "I got a bad feeling. I feel like someone here wants you gone. I'm on your side. Really!"

Rantaro stared at the shorter boy's eyes. Kokichi stared back.

Weirdly enough, it was almost as if there was a conversation taking place between the two boys. There was no need to use words to communicate with each other, as both boys stared intently at each other. Ten minutes later, both boys left the area. Rantaro turning left, while Kokichi went the other way. From an outsider's view, it seemed like the two had a fight, but it was the other way around. Both boys were sure of the other's intention and they were both bound by one simple opinion. They were going to find the mastermind and end this killing game!

* * *

The next person Kokichi met was Ryoma.

"So, what do you want?" the tennis pro asked in his deep voice. "I might have an idea of what you're after."

"Oh~really? Wow, you beat me to the punch!" the violet haired boy grinned. "So, Ryoma, I think you should like kill yourself. Since you don't have a reason to survive, your death would provide an additional three more lives."

Ryoma took a huff from his cigarette and looked up at the taller boy. "Alright, kill me."

Kokichi shook his head. "Nah, I don't really want to kill you. Monokuma stated there had to be a death today, and that death can be caused by yourself. I mean, I don't really want to get my hands dirty, so you're on your own." As if to prove his point, the teen boy carefully observed his hands.

The tennis pro stared hard at Kokichi. "If only there was a tool to provide me a quick death, then I will go for it."

"Ok! Good luck! I'm off somewhere else!"

* * *

"Hmm, if it isn't Kokichi. Kekeke, anything I should know?" the masked Korekiyo asked.

"Nope, I just wanted to tell you about all the wonderful girls here," the boy replied. "Himiko, she's so cute and playful, especially how much she cares about magic. Tenko, she's so dedicated to Himiko. Ah, she's such a loyal friend. Angie is very wise with all the knowledge she has. Kirumi is such a wonderful maid, anybody would love to have her as a friend and maid. Tsumugi is a very nice and considerate person. Oh and Maki...she's strong"

Korekiyo gave a nod, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Oh~I'm just playing around. You know, wondering which girl you prefer? And like to date?" Kokichi wondered. "And don't worry, I've asked the other boys about this as well"

The masked boy paused to consider his speech. "What about Kaede and Miu? Kaede would be a wonderful choice for a girlfriend."

Quickly, there was a scoff. "Miu is basically a slut. You wouldn't want to be near her. All the moaning is annoying. As for Kaede, I think she's off-limits if you know what I mean?"

"Kekeke, how interesting," Korekiyo laughed. "Well I'll better be on my way."

"Bye!"

* * *

"What are you doing here, you degenerate male!" Tenko exclaimed. "Get out of my sight!"

Panting heavily, Kokichi turned to Tenko. "Oh my god, I can't believe it. Thank god I'm safe."

Curiously, she turned to Kokichi. "What are you talking about, degenerate male? Spit it out!"

"Um...you see, I was walking to the dining hall when I heard a guy talk to himself. He was talking about how he was going to kill Himiko today, because she would be an easy target," Kokichi sighed. "Tenko, you have to do something about it!"

"Of course, I won't let any degenerate male come close to her proximity!"

Immediately, Tenko rushed off to search for Himiko.

* * *

"What are you doing here!?" Maki demanded. "Leave!"

Kokichi decided to fake cry. "Wahhh! Maki-roll is so mean! I want the real Ultimate Child Caregiver!"

The moment he mentioned the latter part, Maki dashed towards the boy, ready to strangle the boy. It was useless though. Kokichi had already expected that reaction from her, so he swiftly took several steps away.

"What do you want!? And don't call me Maki-roll!"

"Well~" Kokichi smiled. "Since you're so intimidating and probably good with weapons, I think you should kill someone here."

"You right?"

The violet haired boy laughed. "Haha, nice joke. Well, since you're probably used to killing, finding another target here won't be that hard."

Maki narrowed her eyes at the boy. "You're right."

"I mean, you probably don't even have a reason to live, right? So you might as well stick with your talent until the end. Kill, since that's all you have."

With that said, Kokichi skipped away and waved goodbye to an irritated Maki.

* * *

"Yo Kiibo," Kokichi stepped forward to reveal himself to the robot.

"What are you doing here? Have you done something to my friends, Shuichi and Kaito?"

An accusatory finger was already directed at Kokichi. It seemed like the robot already had ill-feelings for him. Kaito, Shuichi and Kiibo as the three musketeers...Kokichi couldn't help himself, but snicker. Shuichi was going to need all the luck in the world to have his sanity intact after being with those two. "I haven't. I just came here. Speaking of your friends, where are they?"

"Don't lie, you're plotting something, you liar!"

Another accusation, but he might be right. He was indeed plotting himself and he was a liar. Was it just him or was this Kiibo a lot smarter than the one in his universe? "If they're true friends, they wouldn't leave you behind~right?"

Kiibo took a moment for his words to process. "No, because I believe in my friends!"

Kokichi rolled his eyes. Was Kaito inside that robot? "Anyways, you don't really know them all that well. You _are_ a _robot_ , not a _human_. You're different from them. To be honest, they probably don't even consider you as a friend. Well, I'm off. Have fun searching for your _friends"_

As he left, Kiibo was glaring daggers at Kokichi. If looks could kill, Kokichi would've been dead by now.

* * *

Kokichi rushed to his room, locked the door and crashed into his bed. Today was so tiring, he had to find the other students and strike up a conversation with them. Since he had spent some time searching, goofed off along the way and ate too many junk food, he was dead tired.

It only took a few seconds on the bed before sleep took over.

* * *

The violet haired boy woke up immediately. That was quite the nightmare. For some reason, his nightmare contained a dead Kaede and Miu haunting him for all of eternity. Now that the boy thought about it, those two girls didn't open the door for anyone right?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The supreme leader groaned and looked at his clock. Who in their darn mind would attempt to disturb his slumber at two in the morning? He was going to ignore the knocks and go back to sleep.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Nope, the boy was going to ignore it. He ain't opening no door at two in the morning.

"Kokichi" "Kokichi" "Kokichi"

Now, he was hearing whispers. The voices sounded very similar, like Kaede's and Miu's. Wait, did his nightmare come true? Kaede and Miu were going to haunt him for all of eternity!? With a shake of his head, it couldn't be.

Knock! Knock!

Now, those knocks startled Kokichi. Something told him Kaede was trying to wake him up as softly as possible and Miu was now pissed at the idea of waiting for him and was now about to wake him up with any means.

Rushing to the door, he grabbed the door's handle. Hopefully the two girls didn't end up bringing any trouble. When he opened the door, he immediately got tackled to the floor.

"You're safe."

"I-I-It's not l-like I was w-worried about you, you i-idiot!"

Quickly, Kokichi tried to get up, close the door and lock it. For some reason, he had been envisioning the worst during those past few minutes. "Well, I'm happy you missed me~ Of course you'll miss cute ol' me."

The two blondes enthusiastically talked to Kokichi about what they discussed, their similarities and differences and how they thought he died. In his opinion, Kokichi thought of himself as a patient and considerate fellow, but it was now three in the morning!

Before long, all three had fallen asleep. Kokichi was in the middle of the bed alongside Miu and Kaede.

* * *

BING-BONG! BING-BONG!

 _"A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather to the location of the corpse, the dining hall."_

The loud announcement woke up three students in alarm.

As they woke up, Kaede was clutching Kokichi's left arm and Miu's face was next to Kokichi.

Chaos and confusion ensued from their current position.

* * *

It had taken them an whole hour to reach the crime scene. For some reason, they had decided to go to the crime scene together. Based on the looks of everyone, it was clear that everyone was irritated that they were the last to show up and it seemed like they had waited for the three for quite a while.

"Finally! You guys showed up! Where were you guys!?" Kaito roared.

As the three reached the dining hall, they looked around. Where was the dead body?

"Where is it?" Kokichi asked. It didn't seem like a murder had taken place, since there was no blood anywhere to be seen.

Kirumi pointed at a large trash bag. As Kokichi peered in the trash bag, he saw a bloody body that only belonged to Ryoma Hoshi.

* * *

 **Well, that's chapter three. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Review, as any feedback would be encouraging! Any thoughts or opinions on this chapter? Any predictions on who committed the murder? I would love to hear your input!**


	4. The First Case

**Hello everyone! For this fanfic, I just like to say that I try to remain impartial or unbiased as much as possible. So, if you have one of your favourite characters die, that is the conclusion I have reached after my thoughts on the interactions with other characters. Obviously, our main protagonist here is Kokichi. Still, I want to announce that it is possible for our protagonist and/or main characters to die. At the same time, some lesser known characters may progress and go very far in this game. I'm not exactly saying it will or won't happen, but I want to tell you guys to not rule anything out.**

 **Wow,** **I like to thank everyone for the amount of support for this story! Especially the guys who review and follow this story, since you guys help inspire me so much to write and continue this story, so I hope you guys enjoy the fourth chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 4- The First Case

"Hmm, what happened here?" Kokichi asked, narrowing his eyes at the small body inside the trash bag. Inside the bag was an excessive amount of blood, so it didn't seem like a simple murder. In fact, Ryoma looked like he had been stabbed countless times. Whoever had done this...was a bloodthirsty demon and he knew only one person who could fit the bill.

"I was on my way to make some breakfast for everyone. At that moment, Gonta, Tsumugi and Angie were present with me. As I searched for the ingredients, I had accidentally discovered a large garbage bag. I had wondered what the bag would contain and that was when I discovered our dear friend Ryoma inside that bag," Kirumi explained. She had a stoic look on her face, but small traces of irritation and unease could be seen on her face if anyone observed carefully.

Everyone had shocked and anguished looks on their faces. It was at that moment Monokuma appeared.

"Upupupu, how interesting!" Monokuma laughed. "Well, here it is! The Monokuma File! The Monokuma File is a detailed report that summarizes all the info about the dead body! But there's no info that would point to the blackened, cuz that would ruin the trials. I dunno, maybe you guys will find it useful, since you're not experienced investigators, y'know?"

Immediately, Kokichi swiped the Monokuma File from Monokuma. "I'll take that then. Let's see."

While the others questioned the validity of such a source, the violet haired boy looked at the Monokuma File. _The victim was Ryoma Hoshi. The victim's body was discovered in the dining hall. The estimated time of death was 8:50pm. The victim was subjected to blunt force trauma to the back of the skull, resulting in cranial fractures and immediate death. The victim was repeatedly stabbed, though none of the stab wounds resulted in immediate death._

Ah, the description seemed familiar to the supreme leader. Was this similar to the first case in his timeline? The most important aspect of the Monokuma File was the time. The victim died at 8:50pm. "So~since he died yesterday, does this mean the number of survivors go up from two to five?"

The moment he mentioned it, a few of his classmates sent him glares. Almost as if he committed the murder or took solace in the fact someone died.

Monokuma stared hard at the boy. "Upupupupu, that's correct! Now I know why you made that offer. You slept with Kaede and Miu yesterday, so that's why you wanted to increase the number of survivors!"

As Monokuma said that, Miu and Kaede quickly looked away, blushes evident on their faces. Everyone else in the room gasped that _Kokichi_ had slept with two girls! One alone was already surprising, but two!?

"You degenerate male!"

Before Kokichi or anyone else knew what happened, Tenko dashed at the supreme leader and held him by the throat. Even Kokichi was surprised. He would expect Maki to do such a thing to him, but Tenko? Her hold on him was strong, so Kokichi struggled to get his message across, "Wh-What are y-you d-doing? Y-You'll be the bl-blackened."

As Kokichi was getting strangled, he had a chance to see the expressions of most of his classmates. Maki sent him a smirk. Kiibo had a slight uptick of a smile. Shuichi watched the scene with a calculating eye. Gonta and Himiko were horrified. And last, Miu and Kaede were trying to get Tenko to stop strangling him.

"That's enough!" Kaito roared.

Luckily, Kaito had managed to push Tenko, which stopped her from strangling him. Kokichi gathered as much air as he could. He almost died! A few more seconds and he would've been dead! Again!

"You degenerate male!"

Once again, Tenko lunged at him, but he had four people shielding him from the girl. Kaede, Miu, Rantaro and Kaito.

"Well, no need for the class trial. We have our killer right here, Tenko!" Kokichi declared. With his declaration, a few murmurs and whispers could be heard about the idea of Tenko being Ryoma's killer.

"O-of course not," Tenko denied. "He was a degenerate male, but not as bad as that degenerate male! This degenerate male sullied two sweet maidens and deserves death!"

With a smirk, Kokichi leaned in slightly. "You do know that makes you our suspect, right?"

"I-It's not me!"

However, her plea fell on deaf ears, as everybody looked away from Tenko. Including Himiko. A tear or two fell down Tenko's eyes as she watched her precious Himiko shun her. Feeling heartbroken, she rushed out of the dining hall.

* * *

"U-um, shouldn't we have stayed back with them to investigate the crime scene?" Kaede asked.

"There's no need," Kokichi shook his head. "They have Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective. Rather, I think it's better to look at the other surroundings. I have a certain suspicion."

As they walked around the park, Miu noticed that her friend Kaede looked dejected. Perhaps she wondered if Kokichi had committed the murder. "Yo, shorty! Don't tell me you committed the murder?" Miu demanded.

"Pfft, of course not. As if I would get my hands dirty for that," Kokichi scoffed, looking at his fingers. "Anyways, with the number of survivors going up from two to five, we have a higher chance of getting out of here."

"Y-yeah! That's right!"

Suddenly, the supreme leader noticed a small red spot of blood near a tree. How interesting...

* * *

After all the investigation, they class trial was about to begin.

"Alright, let's begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial!" Monokuma declared. "After a period of debate, you will take a majority vote for who you believe is the killer. If you're right, the killer is punished! But if you're wrong, everyone else is punished and the killer is allowed to leave the Academy scot-free!"

The Monokubs agreed, adding in their statements.

"So, did anyone see Ryoma last night?" Kaede asked. When nobody spoke up or raised their hands, Kaede rephrased her question. "In a matter of fact, did anyone see Ryoma yesterday?"

"Oh, me! Me! I spoke with him, roughly around two in the afternoon," Oma happily rose his hand. "Though I never saw him again after that."

"Degenerate male! You killed him! You tried to reduce the number of guys, so you could get more girls! You were the last one to see him that day!" Tenko declared, throwing countless accusations against the boy. With a look of disgust and a horrid sneer, she concluded her accusations, "Degenerate male!"

"Hmm, weren't you the one trying to kill me? If you hate males that much, you could've killed Ryoma too," Kokichi playfully suggested. "Isn't that right?"

"O-Of course I wouldn't!"

Soon, a third person broke into the conversation. It was Korekiyo. "Kekeke. If I remember correctly, I saw Ryoma head to the park at around eight o'clock."

Kokichi happily rose his hand. "I saw a small amount of blood in the park. Perhaps it was from Ryoma?"

Kaito shook his head. "Impossible! Ryoma died in the dining hall! The blood couldn't be his!"

Shuichi had his hand on his chin. Them, he spoke up. "I think it's possible that both scenarios are connected. If Ryoma went to the park at eight, there was around fifty minutes between that time span before he got killed."

Kokichi nodded a few times. "That's absolutely correct. And the dining hall closes at ten, so the killer had roughly an hour to bring the dead body into the dining hall."

Rantaro shook his head. "It's possible the cases are connected, but why bring the dead body to the dining hall? That would bring unwanted attention."

Quickly, Kokichi dismissed Rantaro's claim. "That's true, but there's no need to find out more about the case. Now, we need to confirm who did it and who had alibis at that time."

"I was with Kaede the whole night! We had a girl's sleepover, so ain't no way it was us!" Miu yelled.

"Kiibo, Shuichi and I were working out! Doing push ups!" Kaito announced.

The other classmates insisted that they been in their rooms at that time.

"So, it's that degenerate male! He's the one responsible for this mess!"

Shuichi shook his head. "Wait. If I remember correctly, we spotted Tenko at the park when we were practicing."

"Affirmative," Kiibo added in.

"H-huh!?"

"Well, there we have it. Tenko is the murderer," Kokichi declared. "Wasn't that easy?"

"Kokichi, we don't know that for sure yet," Kaede reprimanded him. "We need to go over all the evidence."

"Okay. Tenko confesses. I killed Ryoma." Tenko said, looking anywhere, but Himiko's direction.

There was silence. One of them had just admitted that she had killed Ryoma.

"Why?" Kaede asked. "Ryoma didn't have to die."

Internally, Kokichi disagreed. Ryoma had to die, in order to increase the survivor count and appease the mastermind.

"Tenko believes no one would kill anybody today. So, since Ryoma doesn't have a reason to live, Tenko thought it would be fair to target him. Tenko wanted Himiko to survive the most and she most likely will if someone died today. Yet, Tenko heard that degenerate male say someone was targeting Himiko. So, Tenko planned to kill Ryoma and hide his body in a garbage bag in the forest. Then, Tenko would have the time to track down the degenerate male that was targeting Himiko," Tenko explained. "And Tenko thinks she found him! The degenerate male is Kokichi. To ruin a women's purity...he must die! So, why did you guys stop me from killing him. Why Kaede and Miu?"

Before any of the two girls could answer, Kokichi laughed. "I was joking~ Nobody was going to target Himiko! How dumb can you be?"

Korekiyo tilted his head up as a response. Tenko was gaping like a fish. There were a few glares directed at Kokichi's way.

"Y-you lied!" Tenko exclaimed.

Kokichi laughed in response. "Duh, I'm a liar after all. Who would trust a liar?"

At that moment, both Kaede and Miu looked down at their feet. However, Kokichi noticed their expressions and his jaw slackened.

"Do you know my lies are half full of good intentions? Like saving Miu and Kaede. I mean, I can't save them both if there were only two survivors."

"Why didn't you tell us from the start?" Kirumi asked. Although it wasn't clear to who the question was directed towards, the supreme leader was certain the maid was asking Tenko.

"I w-was going to announce it...Tenko just want to stare at Himiko's face before I die. As my last moment." Tenko answered.

At that point, Himiko faced Tenko. She was crying and it seemed like the tears weren't going to stop anytime soon. In a soft and broken voice, she asked, "Why Tenko?"

"Tenko's sorry, but I want you to survive Himiko," Tenko answered. "I love you."

Tenko's tender love declaration must have worked, because the tears were now flowing from Himiko. In fact, she wasn't the only one crying. Kaito, Gonta, Tsumugi, Miu and Kaede were crying as well, some of them crying bit more than others.

"Wahhhh! It's so sad!" Kokichi shed crocodile tears. "I mean, it's _so_ similar to my situation and how I feel about Kaede and Miu."

Quickly enough, Kaede and Miu had blushes on their faces and looked away from the boy. The moment he mentioned that, a few students like Angie, Kaito and Kirumi apologized to Kokichi for thinking he was evil. As the scene unfolded, an irritated Maki and a frowning Kiibo were not happy that Kokichi was easily forgiven. Both Maki and Kiibo were certain that they were falling for Kokichi's trap.

"Wait a second," Shuichi interrupted. "If Tenko killed Ryoma in the forest and hid the body there, why did we find it in the dining hall? Also, why did you stab Ryoma so many times?"

As Shuichi mentioned that, everyone froze.

"Tenko didn't put the body in the dining hall! And she only hit Ryoma on the head with a baseball bat! Tenko had no idea why Ryoma was stabbed so many times!" Tenko exclaimed.

Monokuma laughed. "Well, now that we have it...It's voting time!" With that said, Monokuma sprung into action. "Please cast your votes with the lever in front of you! Who's gonna get chosen as the culprit? Will your choice be right or hopefully wrong? What's it gonna be?"

Everyone's spirits were shattered from their first experience of the class trial. Once they finished voting, the screen lit up and showed the image of the roulette wheel with their faces.

The screen stopped on Tenko's face. And the screen declared her...Guilty!

Monokuma laughed. "Look like you guys are correct! The one who killed Ryoma Hoshi was Tenko Chabashira!"

Tenko looked at Himiko with a sad smile. "Please survive. That's all I ask of you."

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's Punishment Time!"

 **Game Over**

 **Tenko has been found guilty!**

 **Time for the punishment!**

Tenko stood in a dojo and soon after, five figures appeared in front of Tenko. They were human-sized robotic warriors and each were a different colour. One was blue, green, red, yellow and pink. Each of the robotic warriors had a wooden stick.

Charging forward, the red, blue, yellow and pink robotic warriors attacked Tenko. The Ultimate Akido Master tried to fight back, but was only able to deal some damage to the blue and yellow robotic warriors before her legs died out on her.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Before long, Tenko laid on the ground bloody and dead.

Before anyone knew what happened, the green robotic warrior pulled out a sword and slashed the blue robotic warrior. The blue robotic warrior struggled to fight back, and the green robotic warrior finished him off with the last strike.

* * *

"Huh? What the? Why is Monokid?" Monotaro asked, sweating bullets.

"M-Monodam. What have you done?" Monophanie looked away in horror. The pink kub then barfed on the floor.

Monosuke remained silent. He stared at the kids and the next instant, Kokichi sent him a wink.

"No! My sweet darling Monokid! Claimed as collateral damage! This is a nightmare...This is unacceptable...My precious cub is...On second thought, I guess it's okay. After all, I still got four more cubs! Phew! I'm glad you kids came in bulk."

"Huh? It's okay?" Monotaro asked. The red kub looked clueless and confused on what had happened.

"I-I'm shocked...Our existence...means that little, huh?" Monophanie paled.

"What's done is done, what's dead is dead. No point crying over crushed cubs." Monokuma announced. "Unless you wanna end up like these sad sacks."

Monosuke fidgeted with his glasses. "So long! Bear well!"

And with that, Monosuke disappeared.

"Huh? Monosuke?" Monotaro called out.

"Why that little cub! I wonder if he has an early death wish!" Monokuma angrily seethed.

"What was all that about?" Angie asked. "Family problems?"

Shuichi shook his head. "I'll never know."

* * *

The mastermind was not pleased. Everything had gone wrong from the start! It was awesome that there was a lot of interest in the violet haired boy, but he had been causing too many problems. In fact, when the mastermind had set up the game, it was supposed to be Kaede and Shuichi. How did it end up being Kaede and Kokichi? And it wasn't a minor change, there were too many major changes to this story! The mastermind originally believed Rantaro was the wild card, but maybe Kokichi was the true wild card. Not to mention, Rantaro wasn't even dead yet! This was getting dangerous...Kokichi was going to have to die!

* * *

Surviving Students: 14

* * *

 **Well, that's chapter four. What do you guys think? Review, as any feedback would be greatly appreciated!**


	5. The Second Motive

**It's the fifth chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE- I have exams coming up this month, so I'm going to be super busy and it's possible that the 6th chapter and onwards will be around late December/early January.**

* * *

Chapter 5- The Second Motive

He really wasn't sure what had happened, but it seemed like Miu and Kaede were best friends now. Did their friendship develop because he had insisted that they stay locked in a room for their safety? It was weird to Kokichi, because the two of them were now inseparable...and they always wanted the teen boy near them as a result. It wasn't a bad feeling, but this wasn't exactly his end goal. His goal was to end this killing game. So, how did the dark supreme leader managed to have Kaede clutching his left arm and Miu clutching his right arm?

It had only been one day since the execution of Tenko. With the two girls by her side, they walked towards the dining hall. They had passed by Kaito, who grunted when he saw them. Korekiyo walked past them and gave Kokichi a smirk.

"I have to go to the bathroom. You two can go ahead without me." Kokichi told them.

Neither of the girls let go, although Kaede slackened her grip. However, Miu tightened her grip. What was this? Law of equivalent exchange?

"Let's go!" Miu exclaimed.

Kaede blushed at Miu's statement. Her grip weakened on the boy, but she had a decent hold on him.

"Oh~you guys want to watch me go to the bathroom?"

At that statement, Kaede immediately dropped her hold on Kokichi. Miu looked confusingly at Kaede, as if she was missing out.

"L-let's give Kokichi some time and space," Kaede suggested. "After all, we'll see him again later."

Finally, Miu relented and dropped her hold on Kokichi. "Alright, but you better meet us at the dining hall. None of that sneaky business!"

"Yes, that's right!" Kaede nodded her head in approval.

As the two girls both stared hard at Kokichi, the teen boy gave a nod in return. ' _Man, girls can be scary,'_ Kokichi thought.

Quickly turning around, he headed to the bathroom. Along the way, he spotted a crying Himiko. She looked like she had cried for quite a while. Oh well, it didn't concern the supreme leader.

"T-Tenko, w-why?"

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Nah, it still didn't concern him.

"Living is such a pain."

Fine, he was going to step in.

"Himiko. What are you doing here? This is no place for a beauty such as yourself," Kokichi grinned. Sitting down on the floor besides Himiko, the violet haired boy turned to the mage. "So, what's wrong?"

"What's the point?" she replied dejected. "I want to die."

Slinging his arm around Himiko's shoulder, he looked at Himiko. The red haired girl widened her eyes in surprise. She had pushed her witch hat down to hide the slight blush on her face. "Are you sure? I can tell, you're lying with yourself. You can't lie to a liar. Deep down, you want to survive. And you should, because Tenko wanted you to survive."

Himiko fidgeted with her fingers. "Why me though?"

Kokichi refrained from rolling her eyes. Apparently, Tenko loved Himiko. It wasn't that surprising, since she hated every man's guts. "Because you're an amazing and kind magician."

"Now, that sounds like a lie," Himiko pointed out and glared at the boy.

Hands up, Kokichi laughed. "Ya got me. Although, let me show you a cool magic trick."

Instantly, Himiko's eyes sparkled. "Ok! Show me!"

Kokichi showed Himiko his hands from the front side and back side. "See, I'm not holding anything."

Himiko slowly nodded, watching his hands carefully.

Then, Kokichi's left hand touched Himiko's ear. Himiko blushed as a result, and then Kokichi pulled his left hand back.

"Ta-dah! This coin was found inside your ear." Kokichi showed her the coin that his left hand held. "See, even I can do something as simple as magic."

"Hey!" Himiko stood up. "Not just anyone can do magic."

The supreme leader grinned. "Then, show me a magic trick I won't forget next time."

Kokichi began to stand up and was about to walk away when Himiko shouted after him.

"What about your coin?"

The coin was just a Monocoin that he had found nearby. "Nah, keep it. Think of it as a memento from me to you."

As Kokichi walked away, a blushing Himiko watched him leave.

* * *

When Kokichi reached the dining hall, he smelt something wonderful. Pancakes. Bacon. Eggs. Toast. Strawberries. Blueberries. If there was one thing to die for, it was Kirumi's cooking.

"Kirumi, be my mom!" Kokichi yelled.

"What are you even saying?" Kiibo asked. "To say such a thing to Kirumi."

At such an suggestion, Kirumi frowned, but she did not say anything.

"Kirumi, blueberry pancakes, please."

The way Kokichi earnestly asked Kirumi and giddily sat in his seat with a fork and knife ready made some of his classmates uneasy. To them, Kokichi could literally looked like an innocent boy, but appearances can be deceiving.

Meanwhile, Kaede squealed in delight at Kokichi's cute expression. Miu pointed out that Kokichi was looking way too innocent, which would get him raped. Immediately after, Maki and Kiibo argued with the two girls that Kokichi was simply acting innocent and they were falling into his trap.

All the nonsense surrounding Kokichi didn't matter, because Kirumi handed him the blueberry pancakes. As he took a bite, the fluffiness of the pancakes with the sweet blueberries melted into his tongue. It had been way too long, since he had Kirumi's cooking. Her cooking was basically a gift from heaven. "Hey Kirumi!"

"Yes?"

This time around, he truly appreciated all the little things Kirumi does. All the cleaning, helping and cooking were selfless contributions that she did for the whole group. Finishing the bite he took from the blueberry pancake, Kokichi tilted his head and flashed her a sincere smile. "Thank you."

When Kirumi heard such appreciation, honesty and innocence from the boy, she quickly turned away. For some reason, it was possible that her eyes and ears were playing tricks on her. "I'll prepare the tea."

As Kirumi turned away from the group to prepare the tea, there was a small blush on her cheeks.

* * *

"So what should we do?" Kaede skipped over to Kokichi.

"Yeah! What should we do?" Miu added in.

"Hey Kokichi. Show me more of your magic." Himiko requested.

"Is there anything you would like me to do?" Kirumi asked.

Maybe it was just Kokichi, but how did he have four girls with him right now? Shaking his head, this could be a golden opportunity. With his hands on his pockets, he pulled out a deck of cards.

"Let's play some card games," Kokichi decided. "Of course, I'll win all the time."

Kaede nodded, "That sounds like fun."

Kirumi shook her head. "I'll play, but it is not decided that you will win all the time. I myself will win a lot more than you think."

As a response, Kokichi tilted his head innocently. "Hmm~Is that a challenge?"

The two exchanged determined expressions.

Himiko turned to Miu, "You good at card games?"

Miu twisted a strand of her hair. "No."

"Me neither."

"Let's go to Kokichi's room for the card games," Kaede suggested.

"Why my room?" Kokichi asked. It seemed like Kaede and Miu had an infatuation with his room.

"It's a very comfortable and warm vibe," Kaede smiled.

"That's right!" Miu added in.

Himiko and Kirumi nodded their head in approval. Based on their expressions, it seemed like Himiko was curious about his room and Kirumi wanted to clean up his room.

A few minutes of walking and they had reached his room. Once they entered his room, they were amazed by the amount of books and the organization of his room.

"Hmm, I'm rather surprised. It's really clean." Kirumi marvelled.

"Shorty, what's with all these books!?" Miu pointed at the three books on his bed.

"Just something for me to pass the time," Kokichi answered. "And oh, I'm not the shortest anymore. That honour belongs to...Himiko."

As if proving a point, Kokichi grabbed Himiko and brought her facing him. The redhead mage blushed after being so close to the boy, but she was not pleased about the short statement.

"See. What did I tell you guys? I'm not the shortest anymore."

Himiko grabbed the card box from Kokichi's hand. She mumbled, "Let's play cards already."

They had first decided to play cheat, but due to Kokichi easily called out the lie and was able to beat the game with ease.

"Wow, Kaede and Kirumi, you guys got some solid poker faces," the supreme leader complimented. "Of course I still won, but I fell for some of your bluffs."

"What about us?" Miu asked. She too wanted praise. Himiko nodded.

"Oh you two are an open book," Kokichi laughed. "Better luck next time."

They continued to play a few different card games, but most of the games were won by Kokichi. Kaede and Kirumi were both able to win only once.

"Wow, not even a single win. What type of magic is this?" Himiko asked.

Kokichi smirked. "Oh, that's pretty easy. Just some mind reading."

"Mind reading!?" Miu was startled. "S-So you can r-read all my th-thoughts?"

Himiko stared hard at Kokichi. "That's a high level magic technique..."

With a small laugh, Kokichi faced the two. "Nope~I lied."

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Kokichi got up to open the door. Once he opened it, he was face to face with Kaede.

"Hey Kaede, what's up?"

Kaede shook her head. "It's nothing much. We haven't talked like this for quite a while. Just the two of us."

The violet haired boy nodded. "It's been a while. You and Miu are best friends now."

The pianist nodded. "Yes, and it's all because of you. If you didn't insist we stay in that room, we wouldn't have become best friends."

Now that Kokichi thought about it, how did they instantly become friends? Sure, he remembered the two of them talking to him early in the morning yesterday. But if he was being honest, he didn't remember much, since he was so sleepy. At that time, he had no idea how and why Miu and Kaede were so energetic when it was two or three in the morning.

"Yep, and to be honest, I think you were right. I was naive. When you offered to increase the number of survivors from two to five to Monokuma, you did that with us in mind. So, thank you. You're a really kind guy, even though you go about it the wrong way," Kaede confessed, flashing Kokichi a smile. "Sometimes, it's just frustrating, because some people here think of you as a villain. Though I think differently." At that instant, Kaede grabbed the boy's hand. "To me, you're a hero."

Kokichi was shocked. He hadn't expected her to confess her feelings to him. For the first time in his life, he couldn't say anything. Maybe Kaede could tell that he struggled with his thoughts, because she kept on smiling at the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. The violet haired boy felt comforted by her actions and replied, "Thanks. Thanks Kaede."

The pianist flashed him a grin. "Now that we got that part done, why don't we play a game?"

The supreme leader stared at Kaede. Her eyes were sparkling. Perhaps he imagined it, but he was certain that he saw mischief within her eyes. "A game?"

Kaede leaned towards the boy and used her hands to cover his eyes. "Guess the gift I have for you. If you guess right, it's your win. If you guess wrong, it's my win."

The violet haired boy thought about it for a few seconds. What was something Kaede would give him? Then he instantly realized the answer. "A hug."

"Nope~It's my win."

When Kokichi heard that, he had to wonder if he had heard correctly. Kaede spoke with a playful tone that reminded him of himself. Was this really the same Kaede in his timeline? He didn't have time to process his thoughts, because he felt a soft sensation on his lips. It was pleasant. The only downside to this whole experience was that his eyes were still covered. After a few seconds, Kaede pulled away her lips and his hands.

The pianist flashed him a smile. "Thank you for always being there for me."

* * *

The next morning, Monokuma introduced the concept of research labs to everyone in the dining hall. When Kaede realized that a piano could be present in the academy, she grabbed a certain smaller boy's arm and rushed out to find the Ultimate Pianist Lab.

"Hey, wait for me!" Miu chased after them.

The pianist quickly turned back to Miu and flashed her a wink. "Better luck next time."

As Kaede and Kokichi dashed away from Miu and looked for the Ultimate Pianist Lab, Kokichi couldn't help but wonder. Was mischief contagious?

Meanwhile, some of the students were appalled at the scene that had taken place. They were slowly and surely getting used to it, but it was still weird to witness.

Kaito grunted, "Lucky bastard."

* * *

Kokichi watched as Kaede played the piano with grace. The harmonious melody and her graceful appearance was a sight to behold.

As Kaede finished the song, she turned to the supreme leader. "So, what do you think of the piece?"

The violet haired boy was dazed. The kiss from last night probably didn't help either. "It's beautiful," he replied. "Just like you."

"Thanks," the blonde smiled. "Sorry I had to drag you here. It's been so long since I touched a piano. I'm glad I can play a piece for you."

Kokichi walked up to Kaede and sat next to her on the piano bench. "Hmm, how about we make a song together on the piano?"

The pianist was appalled. She hadn't expected Kokichi to know how to play the piano. "You know how to play the piano?"

The boy shook his head. "Nope~But I'm a fast learner. And once we get out of here, we'll release it to the whole world. We'll dominate the world with our music!"

Kaede couldn't help, but smile at his antics. It was all the little things he does for her.

With a smile on his face, he put out his pinkie. "It's a promise."

The pianist interlocked her pinkie with his. "Promise."

* * *

"Hahaha, this is my wonderful research lab!" Miu announced.

"Looks lovely," Kokichi complimented. "Just like you."

The moment those words Kokichi left his mouth, he wondered about his current speech pattern. Back in his timeline, he threw countless insults at Miu and she just took it. Now, he's complimenting her? Maybe his mischief wasn't the only one contagious? Perhaps Kaede's kindness was contagious? After all, she had that effect on people.

Miu blushed at that statement. "D-damn right!"

* * *

"Wow, nice room. It looks like royalty." Kokichi marvelled. "Perfect for a maid such as yourself."

Kirumi nodded. "No need for such flattery, although I appreciate it. Is there anything you would like to request?"

The boy pondered for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Nope! Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? I have carbonated drinks here."

That was enough to make the boy grin. "Well~If you insist."

The maid turned to get the carbonated drinks.

"Thanks mom!"

* * *

"This room is quite magical," Kokichi noted. "So, you wanted to show me a trick?"

"Watch," Himiko pointed at a empty Magician's hat. "Now, I throw over this blanket...And when I remove the blanket, a rabbit will appear out of the hat."

Once Himiko removed the blanket, the supreme leader peered at the Magician's hat. Sure enough, there was a rabbit inside the hat.

With his hands behind his head and a smile, Kokichi faced Himiko. "So, do you use your magic for pranks?"

* * *

"Hmm, why don't we have a prank war," Kokichi suggested. "It'll be fun. Nothing dangerous. If someone gets pranked, they're out of the game."

Himiko stared hard at the violet haired boy and frowned. "This sounds like a game you would easily win."

"True, true. I can't lie about that," Kokichi grinned. "Although you can use your magic for pranks, can't you Himiko?"

Himiko thought about his question for a few seconds before she nodded.

Kaede nodded her head in approval. "Sounds fun!"

"I'm game! With my inventions, I'll easily win!" Miu declared. "Get ready, because gold is mine!"

Kirumi appeared besides Kokichi. "And I'll clean up any messes that would be made."

"Ah Kirumi, you sure you don't want to join?" Kokichi asked. "It'll be fun!"

The maid shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I should be there to clean up any mess you four would make."

"Thanks mom," Kokichi nodded. "So, how about we start this game today and right now?"

The three other girls nodded their heads. Quickly, the girls exchanged glances with one another. They were determined to team up and take down the king of pranking first.

* * *

"Did they get you as well?" an irritated Maki asked.

"Affirmative," Kiibo nodded.

"Yeah." Kaito and Shuichi added in.

As of now, the four of them were all drenched in slime.

"That little bastard! He's probably the one who planned all this. He really has a death wish." Maki tightened her fists. She was pissed.

"Oh~Are you talking about me?"

The four of them instantly turned around to spot Kokichi. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Maki instantly tried to attack the boy, but Kaito got in her way and sent her a look to not do anything rash.

"Why are you here?" Shuichi asked.

"Hmm. I was just taking a late night walk when I saw you four. So, what's up? Oh, and I love your appearance. It's quite slimy."

Kaito grunted. "Why did you hit us with the slime? How are we supposed to train now?"

The violet boy tilted his head in response. "Can't you still work out together? Also, why do you guys work out so late at night?"

As a response, Kaito grunted once again. "A squirt like you who doesn't work out would never understand! That's what it like to be a man!"

"So you're considering a female and a robot to be a man?"

"U-Uh, that's not what I meant! I mean...training together is healthy for the body and mind!"

Shuichi narrowed his eyes at Kokichi. "So, what do you want?"

The supreme leader shook his head. "Nothing really. Just here to see my favourite people."

With that said, Kokichi turned away from the group and left. The violet haired boy noted that Kiibo, Shuichi, Kaito and Maki were indeed friends. This was definitely a shift, since it was weird to see Kiibo be included in that group dynamic. Yet, it made sense, considering Shuichi was paired with the robot early in this game. As well, the group seemed to be friends earlier than his original timeline. In this timeline, Maki and Kiibo probably became fast friends due to their annoyance at him. Shuichi and Kaito was going to end up as friends, no doubt about it. When everything was added, they got a squad of four. With a quick glance at the corner of his eye, he noticed the four were doing push ups. Kokichi was certain about it. It was highly probable that the mastermind was part of that group.

Oh, he forgot to tell them. Kokichi wasn't the one that had thought up the slime prank. It was a solid prank from one of the girls that was meant for him, but luckily he had anticipated that prank ahead of time. All he did was switch the targets. Well, nothing he could do about it now.

* * *

It didn't take long for the girl's alliance to fall apart. For a whole day, Kokichi managed to avoid all the pranks that were intended for him. Though when Kokichi finally made his move on the pranks, he was able to easily take down Miu and Himiko. Of course, Kaede was the last one standing.

As the day passed, Kaede looked left and right. All right, there wasn't any signs of Kokichi. The moment she walked, she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Once she turned left, there wasn't anybody there. Quickly, she turned the other way, but she couldn't spot anyone. There wasn't anybody here, but that thought changed when she felt a tap on her back a few seconds later.

The process continued for a minute or two with Kaede trying to find the unsuspecting prankster. There was a trace of his mischievous presence nearby, since she felt several taps on her body. However, she wasn't sure where he was.

The pianist turned around once again.

"Boo!"

Immediately, Kaede jumped back in fright. An upside down Kokichi with a long wooden stick grinned at her. "Hey~Kaede!"

The blonde gaped at the boy. "H-How? How are you upside down?"

The violet haired boy shrugged. "I asked Miu to make a special type of shoes. The type to stand on ceilings."

As she processed his words, Kaede frowned. ' _Traitor,'_ Kaede angrily thought. When Miu and Himiko were eliminated from the prank war, they rooted for her to win as a way to represent the girls. Unfortunately, Kaede didn't think of the idea of walking on the ceiling.

Oh well. She did make it all the way to the final two. The pianist flashed him a smile. "It's your win, prank king."

* * *

One day, Korekiyo stopped him on his way to the dining hall.

"Kekeke, I finally catch you alone. You've gotten quite popular with the ladies," the masked man noted. "I wonder if you'll let me have one of them?"

The violet haired boy laughed. "Hahaha, no."

Korekiyo glared at the boy. "Come on, don't be so selfish."

Kokichi placed a hand on his shoulder. "There's still Tsumugi, Angie and Maki. You're fine. Now, if you excuse me, I got a heavenly breakfast waiting for me."

The masked man watched Kokichi leave. A few seconds later, the anthropologist wondered if he could befriend Kaede without the boy knowing? It was definitely going to be a difficult task to accomplish.

* * *

Before Kokichi knew it, one whole week had passed by. In fact, it was quite fun and memorable! When he saw a motive video at his desk, the violet haired boy froze. He had been preoccupied with all the fun that he had forgotten his true purpose. His true purpose was to end the killing game!

When he checked the motive video, it was intended for Kirumi. Hmm, how fortunate for Kokichi. In his original timeline, Kirumi went insane the moment she saw her motive video.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

When Kokichi opened the door, he saw Kaede. She held out the motive video for him to take. "This is for you. It turned out you lied. When you mentioned evil organization, it was actually a pranking organization...I'm glad. I knew you weren't evil!"

She was shaking as she held out the video for him to take. It was almost as if she was scared that he would start killing once he had a reason to kill.

The teen boy shook his head. "Thanks Kaede, but I think I'll pass. Obviously, they're trying to tempt us to kill. It won't work."

Kaede's arm stopped shaking. She looked at him with a smile on her face. "You really know what to say at times like these."

* * *

When they reached the dining hall, Miu handed Kaede her motive video, but she refused. She insisted that since Kokichi didn't see his, there was no need for the pianist to see her motive video.

However, Kaede showed Miu his motive video.

"See, Kokichi isn't the leader of an evil organization, but rather the leader of a pranking organization!" Kaede told Miu.

Miu gave a loud laugh. "Hahaha, I knew that squirt was lying! Evil organization, my ass!"

A few classmates overheard the conversation, since they spoke so loud.

"Huh," Kaito shrugged. "Guess he was just a kid."

"Kekeke, looks like Kokichi was lying." Korekiyo smirked.

Kiibo and Maki seemed like they wanted to retort, but they had nothing to say. Rantaro flashed the violet haired boy a smile. Himiko rushed to Kaede, while Kirumi walked over to Kaede.

"Lemme see!" Himiko urged.

"Its best to view the video for future reference," Kirumi stated.

After the other two girls watched the video, Himiko patted him on the back. Kirumi stated that she would cheer him up with his favorite food for breakfast.

During the whole moment, Kokichi frowned. Of course he knew what his own motive video contained, but his lie was exposed. It was more cool and mysterious to be the supreme leader of an evil organization with ten thousand members rather than the leader of a mere ten member pranking group. On the bright side, people seemed to open up to him, so he guessed it wasn't all that bad...

* * *

Kaede, Miu and Kokichi were all happily chatting with one another in the violet haired boy's room.

"Rise and shine, ursine!"

A yellow Monokub appeared in Kokichi's room. Both Miu and Kaede pushed themselves away from Monosuke, but Kokichi was expecting him to come around sooner or later.

"Wh-Where's the other three?" Kaede asked, getting over her initial fright. Now, she looked curious as to why only one Monokub appeared.

"Yeah! Where's the other three!?" Miu repeated Kaede's question with extra emphasis.

"They're not here," Monosuke crudely replied. "In fact, none of my siblings are here! Including the Nanokumas."

"Nanokumas?" Kaede wondered. "What's that?"

"They're like insects and cameramen. They're small, fly around and basically film what's going on here," Monosuke answered. "Now, no more stupid questions?"

"Yep~that's probably how Monokuma knew you two were sleeping with me." Kokichi grinned. "It all makes more sense."

At the mention about that incident, both girls blushed heavily.

"So, why are you telling all this, huh!?" Miu glared at Monosuke.

The tiger shaped Monokub looked down at his feet. "I...I have second thoughts! Alright!"

The two blondes were appalled. Was one of Monokuma's children really betraying him?

Monosuke continued, "Look. I directed the Nanokumas away from this room, so everything you say here is safe. I guarantee you that there are no Nanokumas present in this room. Even if there was, I can easily spot them with my glasses."

Kaede looked around the room. "Not to be mean or anything, but why are you here?"

The yellow Monokub took a step back and pointed at Kokichi. "He was the one who called me out here! So, you guys should know."

Immediately, Miu and Kaede turned to Kokichi.

"Haha, guess I got some explaining to do," Kokichi laughed.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Kokichi was walking back to his dorms when he saw a yellow-striped Monokub. Ah, the perfect Monokub to talk to._

 _"Yo Monosuke, what are you doing here yourself?" Kokichi called out._

 _"Damn brat, we're on patrol. I'm patrolling this area. So if there's nothing you need, leave!" Monosuke crudely replied._

 _The violet haired boy pretended to cry. "Wahhh, you're so mean." Immediately, his face went back to normal. "But there is something I need to talk to you about."_

 _"I don't need to talk to you, so leave!"_

 _Kokichi smirked, "How about a proposition?"_

 _When he mentioned proposition, Monosuke looked at Kokichi. "I'm listening, go on..."_

 _"Show me the way to a private place without any eyes or ears nearby. If you know what I mean?"_

 _The yellow Monokub studied Kokichi intently before nodding his head. "Go in your room."_

 _Kokichi followed his directions. However, the yellow Monokub was not present in the room. He waited for roughly twenty minutes before Monosuke appeared._

 _"The Nanokumas are not present in your room," Monosuke stated. "So, this better be a good offer."_

 _"Yep," Kokichi grinned. Then he brought his hand out to the Kub. "I propose an alliance."_

 _Monosuke looked at Kokichi, as if he had grown two heads. "Are you crazy!? Why would I form an alliance with you?"_

 _The supreme leader sighed. "You are the only Monokub I've considered. Monotaro is too forgetful. Monophanie and Monokid might tell Monokuma. Monodam is a killer. You are the smartest one here, so I think it would be wise for you to listen to my reasoning."_

 _Monosuke glared at Kokichi. "Don't be stupid, Monodam isn't a killer."_

 _"Listen, Monokid bullies Monodam. So, I'm telling you, Monodam is going to kill Monokid when the chance arises. And after that, you're next."_

 _The yellow Monokub jumped back in alarm. "M-Me? Don't be ridiculous."_

 _Kokichi stared hard at the Monokub. "Also, Monokuma doesn't care about any of you Monokubs. Not to mention, Monokuma probably has a bomb inside you in case you misbehave."_

 _"B-Bomb!?"_

 _"Ah, that's so sad. Guess you just have to remain Monokuma's pet," Kokichi snickered. "But there's a way out of this mess. I have the Ultimate Inventor, Miu Iruma on my side. We can probably easily take out the bomb or any dangerous mechanisms inside of you. For your collaboration, of course."_

 _Monosuke took a moment for the words to enter his head. Then, he shook his head. "Even if that's all true, Monokuma loves us. We're his Kubs! Also, Monodam isn't a killer."_

 _Kokichi shrugged. "You don't have to accept the offer right now. When the class trial ends, you would have your answer. Oh, I recommend you to not tell anyone, especially Monokuma. Well, it was a nice talk Monosuke! You know where to find me if you want to reconsider."_

 _END OF FLASHBACK_

Kaede was dumbfounded. "Wow, all that happened...but why Kokichi?"

Kokichi stared at his hands. "Well, Monosuke is the smartest one here. I reckon he'll see my reasoning sooner or later."

"But for what purpose!?" Miu demanded.

The violet haired boy blinked. He then stared at the two blondes. "Isn't it obvious? To end this killing game!"

The two girls stared at Kokichi. Maybe they were starting to realize how much of a genius he was.

"Enough of this chitter-chatter. Now, I want this bomb out of my body!" Monosuke interrupted. "Hurry up and let's go!"

"Now, why the hell should we do that!?" Miu roared back at the Monokub.

The yellow Monokub stepped back. A few seconds later, he looked at Kokichi with a tear in his eye. "Y-you promised!"

Kokichi immediately frowned at Monosuke's exclamation. He didn't promise jack squat. A promise to the bear was all give and no take. He had offered a partnership, one where both sides benefited. "I'm sorry~but I offered a partnership. Not a promise. Are you telling me that once we take the bomb out, you're going back to them?" Kokichi feigned a smile. Although the smile might seem scary, because Monosuke took another step back.

"Of course not! I-I can't go back to them! Monokuma doesn't care about us! Monodam killed Monokid! The other two...they're just sucking up to Monodam! It's like they don't even care that Monodam killed Monokid! I think I might be the only sane one in that group...And I know for a fact, Monokuma is angry at me! You're the only ones I can think of that could be on my side."

The supreme leader raised his hand. "Well, I look forward to our partnership."

Monosuke immediately took the head. "Thank you."

* * *

Immediately after, they went to Miu's research lab. Monosuke insisted that he had directed all the Nanokumas away from the hallway and Miu's research lab. The yellow Monokub also stated that he brought the dead Monokid to her research lab, so Miu can look at the mechanisms inside the body.

"Kokichi, you're right! There really is a bomb in here. Although, nothing out of the ordinary is in this robot besides a bomb." Miu explained. "The bomb is deactivated though. Maybe it's because it's dead? Hmm, I have an idea. I think I know of a way to get the bomb out."

Kokichi and Kaede were on a couch, far away from the scene. The violet haired boy nodded, while Kaede snuggled on his arm.

It took a few hours, but Miu finally found a way to deactivate the bomb. By that time, Kaede and Kokichi were already asleep on the couch.

"There you go! The bomb is deactivated and it is now out of your body! All done by the amazing Miu!" Miu laughed. "Still, I wouldn't have saved you if the decision was mine alone."

Monosuke didn't say anything for a while. A few minutes passed and the yellow Monokub mumbled a quiet, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me! He's the one who helped you realize your family are assholes! He's the one who suggested a partnership with you!" Miu yelled, pointing at Kokichi. "He's the one who wanted the bomb out of your body! He's the one you should truly thank...And I haven't even said my thanks to him."

Monosuke glanced at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful. "Well, for both our sakes, let's hope that brat makes it all the way to the end. I think if it's him, he can truly end this killing game."

With that said, the yellow Monokub turned to the door. "So long. Bear well."

* * *

The next day, Kokichi woke up. That was when he realized his position. Kaede and Miu were draped all over him! In a couch, no less!

"Having fun, I see?"

A voice interrupted his thoughts and that was when he saw an angry Monokuma looking straight at them. Was it possible that Monosuke tattled on them once his bomb was gone?

"Um...Monokuma. Why are you so mad?"

"Huh? I'm mad, because I can't find that damn Monosuke! Where the hell is he!?" Monokuma yelled. "Ah well, how was your experience with the two girls? Upupupupu."

Kokichi feigned ignorance. "Oh, what happened to Monosuke?"

"That damn brat has been missing for quite a while! When I get my hands on him..."

Monokuma then left the lab.

Kokichi blinked. It turned out that the yellow Monokub was definitely on his side. Even Monokuma was angry at him. Well, first things first...He looked at the two blondes draped over him. This was going to take a while.

* * *

Monotaro had no idea what happened. Where was Monokid? Where was Monosuke?

"Let's all get along," Mondam spoke in his monotone voice. "Together."

"Ok!" Monophanie agreed.

Monotaro nodded his head. Why was he even listening to Monodam?

In the next moment, an angry Monokuma appeared. "Okay Monokubs, where the hell is Monosuke!?"

Nobody answered, which only made Monokuma even more angry!

"He's...my favourite son! If you don't find him...I'll kill each and every one of you!" Monokuma threatened.

Monophanie cried and Monodam glared at Monokuma.

For Monotaro, he wondered if...Monosuke was happy?

* * *

"Would you like some carbonated drinks?" Kirumi asked.

"Yes please!" Kokichi insisted. "Thanks mom!"

Kirumi nodded and went to get the carbonated drinks. She was slightly blushing, since Kokichi was so damn cute!

When Kirumi handed him a carbonated drink, the boy smiled at her. Then, he took a gulp of the carbonated drink.

However, the moment he gulped the carbonated drink, he knew! The taste seemed different. Before he knew what happened...

Thud!

As the scene unfolded before her eyes, Kirumi could only gasp in horror.

Kokichi was dead!?

* * *

Surviving Students: 13

* * *

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE- I have exams coming up this month, so I'm going to be super busy and it's possible that the 6th chapter and onwards will be around late December/early January.**

 **Yes, Kokichi is dead. I know, I know...but there was nothing I could do, since the mastermind wanted him gone and took that extra initiative. Similar to Danganronpa V3, the perspective will now change. I haven't made any final conclusions, but any suggestions? I'm leaning towards Kaede.**

 **Speaking about Kaede, I think I showed a lot of interactions of Kaede/Kokichi in this chapter with a few glimpses in previous chapters. There was a bit of Miu/Kokichi in this chapter as well. Honestly...I'm a little sad that it had to be this way.**

 **However, Kokichi's story still lives on. He had many impactful interactions in this fanfic. Not just the students, but the Monokubs as well. Let me just tell all you guys this. Monosuke is the most important Monokub, which I'll reveal in future chapters, but I showed you a glimpse in this chapter. Monokuma should be panicking a bit.**

 **If you guys knew something was up between Kokichi and Monosuke from the last chapter, I'd like to give props to you. It was a small foreshadow that I planned out for this chapter.**

 **Since I won't be able to update for quite a while, I wanted to send this final chapter to you guys. So, if you guys got the time, can you tell me your thoughts?**

 **Thoughts on this chapter? Story as a whole? Feelings about Kokichi's death? Thoughts on Kaede/Kokichi? I would love to hear your opinions. Thanks. And until next time!**


	6. The Loss of a Loved One

**It's the sixth chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **This was a relatively quick chapter to make, so I tried to send it out to you guys. Next chapter will probably be in several weeks from now.**

 **Man, I can tell a lot of you guys are not pleased with Kokichi's death. I only ask for you to please continue, it will start to make a lot more sense later.**

* * *

Chapter 6- The Loss of a Loved One

Kaede couldn't believe it. She really couldn't. On the ground was the boy that had made her feel alive. The boy was constantly joking around and that's what made him so fun, but he was also so sincere. In fact, Kaede couldn't even recall a time in this place where she was truly anguished. Yes, seeing Ryoma's dead body and Tenko being a murderer was horrifying, but Kokichi immediately cheered her up. It was almost as if he knew she was sad or scared before she knew herself! That's why she couldn't even think or breathe when she saw the boy's dead and frozen body. Her hero...was gone.

As it turned out, she wasn't the only one suffering with the newfound information. Himiko instantly dropped down to her knees and wailed when she saw his body. Kaede couldn't blame her. For Kaede, she was also heavily crying, but she was standing. However, maybe not for long as her knees were shaking so much that she was sure it would give out sooner or later.

On the far end was a pale Kirumi. The sight of seeing the dead boy that she served must have unnerved her, because she was shaking quite badly and was as pale as a ghost.

"Dammit! Which one of you bastards did it!?" Miu demanded, furiously looking around to see who could have killed him. "Was it you!?"

"Pfft...I have no need to kill him," Maki replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, why do you care so much about him? He's just a brat, so he's better off dead."

The moment she uttered those words, Kaede and Miu whirled around to face Maki.

Slap! Slap!

Two syncronized slaps occurred at that instant, one slap on Maki's left cheek and the other on her right cheek.

Kaede was incensed. How could she speak about him like that? Better off dead? That was complete rubbish. Judging by Miu's reaction, the pianist was certain that she felt the same way.

Suddenly, the air around them went cold. Maki glared at the two blondes and if looks could kill, Kaede was certain that she would be already dead. In scenarios like these, Miu would usually squirm after seeing Maki's glare, but this time, the inventor glared back. When Kaede saw her friend react that way, she steeled her resolve and glared back at Maki as well.

"Do you want to die?"

Kaede was certain that she heard that phrase from Maki before, but this time, it seemed like there was legit intent behind her words. Her glare was piercing and before the pianist knew it, the smaller girl dashed towards her.

As the brunette dashed, she reached out and snagged a firm grip on Kaede's neck.

Everyone's expressions morphed into surprise.

"Get off of Kaede, you murderer!" Miu screamed. The inventor took a step towards Maki and was about to punch her, when suddenly Maki grabbed Miu's wrist and tightened her hold on Miu's arm.

"Maki-roll, what are you doing?" Kaito asked, taking a step closer towards Maki.

"Stop calling me that," Maki growled. "That's the annoying nickname that the little squirt gave me, so stop calling me that!"

Kaede could feel Maki's grip on her tighten. Since it did, she wanted to utter out to everyone how she felt about Maki. "Kokichi w-was right about y-you. You are the Ultimate Ass-Assassain."

Once she uttered that, Maki was furious. She tightened her hold on both Miu and Kaede.

Based on her current circumstance, Kaede was certain she was joining Kokichi soon. Additionally, Miu's face scrunched in pain. It could be conceivable that her arm may be broken after this altercation.

A moment before she died, Kaede got saved. Gonta and Kaito immediately pulled Maki away from Kaede and Miu.

Immediately, Kaede tried to gather as much air as she could, while Miu felt her bruised arm.

"Maki, what the hell are you doing!? Are you trying to kill her?" Kaito snapped.

"How could you do such a thing!?" Himiko yelled, as more tears fell down her face. "You're a terrible person!"

"Kekeke...it seems like Maki is the killer this time."

"Gonta can't believe Maki do such a thing."

As the accusations kept occurring, Maki lowered her head and glared at everyone.

"Why?" Kaito asked. Even the astronaut seemed like he believed that Maki could have done it, but he looked like he was in a dilemma.

Something about Kaito's tone must have affected Maki, because she instantly snapped. "I didn't do it! I wouldn't kill such a twerp."

"That's wrong!" Kaede countered. The pianist wasn't going to let Maki get off scot-free for killing her hero. No way in hell! "The first time I met you, I remembered you went for Kokichi! I got in between the two of you! But if I didn't, who knew what would've happened to poor Kokichi!"

"Poor Kokichi?" Maki asked, as she stared at Kaede like she had grown two heads. "Nothing about him is good. He's vile. And about that scene, he started it first. He provoked me."

"He provoke you and you try to kill him!?" Kaede screeched. "Can't you take a simple joke without trying to kill anyone!?"

Maki gritted her teeth and glared at Kaede. As Maki was about to take a step towards Kaede, Kaito pulled her back and shook his head.

"Upupupupu, how interesting! I've been pretty angry lately, so it's wonderful to see the killing game start again! And the victim this time...is the enigmatic little boy! What a twist!" Monokuma announced, his tone full of delight.

"Did you just arrive?" Rantaro asked, as he narrowed his eyes at Monokuma. Based on the blonde boy's expression, it seemed like he was definitely not pleased with the news of Kokichi's death.

"Yep, I have been here from the start," Monokuma declared. "Now, I present you with the Monokuma file!"

Before anybody could take the file, Kaede lunged for the file. It was clear she was on a mission. She was going to find out who killed Kokichi!

 _The victim was Kokichi Oma. The victim's body was discovered in the the Ultimate Maid Lab. The estimated time of death was 1:15pm. The victim ingested poison, resulting in immediate death. No other injuries were present._

When Kaede saw poison, she felt dread overwhelm her. One of her classmates poisoned him? It was at that moment she had an epiphany. Quickly, Kaede turned to Kirumi and sent her a glare. "Kokichi was in your research lab and you were the first to discover him, so does this mean you poisoned him?"

Even now, the maid was shaking very badly and her face complexion was pale. "I do admit...that I served the drink to Kokichi. I take full responsibility for that. But I didn't put any poison in that drink! I don't blame you all if you hate me...and I will accept the role of being the blackened, but I really did not put poison in that drink!"

Everyone was stunned by Kirumi's confession. Even Kaede was stunned. A part of her wanted to blame everything on Kirumi, since she was the one who served him the drink. But if Kirumi's confession was true, then there was someone here who had placed poison in those drinks. The blame couldn't entirely lie with Kirumi, but the pianist was so angry that she had to blame someone. For now, that person would be Kirumi and so the blonde sent her a glare.

"Monokuma, what happens if Kirumi served a drink to Kokichi, but she was unaware that the drink contained poison? Who would be the blackened?" Korekiyo broke the silence. Everyone turned to Monokuma, it seemed like everyone in the room wanted to know who would be the blackened.

"Upupupu, how interesting! Well, if it turns out that Kirumi didn't know about the poison, then the blackened would be the one who set the poison. However, if Kirumi knew about the poison and still served the drink to Kokichi, then Kirumi is the blackened. Even the same can be said for Kokichi! If he knew about the poison and still drank it, then the blackened is Kokichi."

Kaede froze. It was still possible that Kirumi killed Kokichi. The main point that mattered was whether Kirumi was aware or unaware of the poison beforehand. Yet, when Monokuma stated about Kokichi could've committed suicide with the poison, Kaede's temper instantly flared. "There's no way he would commit suicide!"

"That's right!" Miu added in.

When the two blondes insisted that Kokichi wouldn't commit suicide, there were murmurs of agreement from the other classmates.

"That's right! That squirt wouldn't commit suicide!" Kaito declared.

"Gonta don't believe Kokichi commit suicide, because Kokichi always happy."

"Kekeke, I really don't see any reason for him to commit suicide. In fact, there are probably four reasons for him not to commit suicide."

"Yeah, Kokichi wouldn't kill himself."

Monokuma frowned. "Sheesh, I was just stating a possible scenario. Anyways, that's all for now. Have fun!".

With that said, Monokuma vanished from the room.

* * *

Miu was furious. Extremely furious. Whoever killed Kokichi was going to pay!

At the same time, the inventor was full of melancholy. Kokichi was the first person she had opened up to. He had expressed interest in her from the start when nobody else did and that empowered her. It made her feel like she was wanted. Yes, there were times when the boy had called her names, but he was always apologetic afterwards or playfully laughed it off as a joke a minute later. Kokichi had introduced her to a whole new world. It was thanks to him that Kaede and her had become best friends, every single day was fun and all the dreams she had were wonderful. Miu had so much to thank him for, but she never truly thanked him for everything. Now, she would never have the chance to, because he was gone. It was a bitter reminder that she didn't realize what she had until it was gone.

Miu closed her eyes. Back then, Miu was always a boring and unremarkable girl. Even with the surgery and her newfound innovation, she didn't really consider herself special, even though she had a talent for inventing. But Kokichi...he changed all that. With his playful and fun vibe, he made her whole life vivid. In fact, he probably brightened the whole room with just a single smile. His smile...

"Miu, are you okay?" Kiibo reached for her shoulder.

Instantly, Miu pulled away. She had no idea which of her classmates tried to kill Kokichi and because of that fact, there was no need for her to be friendly towards any of the other students.

"Hmph, I'm fine. I'm going to check the carbonated drinks."

* * *

Himiko didn't know why this had to happen again!? First, Tenko died. And now, Kokichi died? This was too much for her. There was no need to investigate, because living was a pain. The moment she instantly befriend someone, they die? She couldn't take it anymore. As Himiko kept crying in her room, she heard a sound of a coin drop. Tilting her head to the floor, she noticed the coin. It was the exact coin Kokichi had given her. Ah, the coin...it held so much to Himiko than Kokichi probably expected. To her, Kokichi tried to cheer her up with a magic trick using that coin. It worked, because she instantly felt happy afterwards.

Now that she thought about it, Kokichi was completely different from what she initially thought. She wasn't sure why, but when she met him, he seemed really smart. Yet, he was a liar and someone that shouldn't be trusted. Well, that latter part was something Tenko told her. And weirdly enough, everything about him seemed off. He manipulated Tenko to commit murder, but at the same time, he did it, so he could increase the survivor count from two to five. He was a liar, but the witch knew he was being honest when his eyes sparkled and he flashed her a sincere smile. Some of her classmates thought of him as a jerk or viewed him negatively, but he was very kind. After all, he did cheer her up.

Himiko grabbed the coin and clutched it to her chest. She really wanted him back.

* * *

Lie. Lie. Lie. It had to be a lie...Kokichi's death had to be a lie. No matter how many times Kaede told herself that Kokichi's death was a lie, it didn't work. For some reason, she half expected Kokichi to pop out of nowhere and declare it was just a joke. She wished he would. Yet, it was the truth. He really was gone...Her hero.

Kaede gritted her teeth and walked towards the lifeless Kokichi. It was weird to see him so lifeless, because the boy was always full of energy. Kaede reached out and started to search for any objects on him. Kaede felt like this was something she shouldn't do, but this was something she had to do to find any clues about who murdered him.

As she dug around, she spotted a photo inside his pocket. It was a picture of Miu, Kaede and Kokichi. Kokichi was grinning, while Kaede had clutched on his left arm. At the same time, Miu clutched his right arm.

Kaede smiled at the memory, Miu had made a camera that day and insisted that they take a group photo. Of course, Kokichi seemed like he didn't care at the time, but now that Kaede saw the photo inside his pocket, there was no telling it. Kokichi really did treasure the moments and memories they shared. That brought a smile to Kaede's face. However, it didn't last long, because Kaede realized that Kokichi was dead. Immediately, the smile turned upsides down.

As Kaede looked through his body, he noticed a motive video inside his coat. Why did he have a motive video with him? As Kaede reached for the motive video, she turned it on. She wondered who the motive video belonged to. That would be an essential clue to who killed Kokichi.

The video played and Kaede couldn't believe it. The motive video belonged to Kirumi. Also, Kirumi was prime minister? No, that wasn't all that important. What mattered was...did Kirumi killed Kokichi?

* * *

After a few hours of investigation, it was now time for the class trial to start.

To Kaede, she was going to find out who killed Kokichi!

* * *

 **Well, that's chapter six.** **What do you guys think? Who do you guys think killed Kokichi? Review, as any feedback would be greatly appreciated!**


	7. Friend or Foe?

**Well, it's the 7th chapter. Ok, I'm on a roll. I was able to continue on with my momentum and get this chapter done relatively quick. Anyways, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7- Friend or Foe?

After all the investigation, they class trial was about to begin.

"Alright, let's begin with a basic explanation of the Class Trial!" Monokuma declared. "After a period of debate, you will take a majority vote for who you believe is the killer. If you're right, the killer is punished! But if you're wrong, everyone else is punished and the killer is allowed to leave the Academy scot-free!"

Monophanie agreed with a head nod.

Monokuma tilted his head to look at his Monokubs. Then Monokuma exploded in anger, "Why are there only three of you!? Where the hell is Monosuke!?"

Monophanie looked dejected. "Daddy, we're sorry. We couldn't find him."

While Monophanie apologized, the other two Monokubs didn't say anything.

Monokuma frowned.

Kaede didn't have time to focus on Monokuma and his Monokubs. It was time to find out who killed Kokichi. "Forget them, we need to find out the truth!"

"Yeah!" Himiko yelled. "We need to find out who killed Kokichi!"

"Damn right!" Miu added in.

The rest of the classmates may have been unnerved by the energy and determination the three shown, but they too quickly joined in.

"Yeah, we'll find out what happened with Kokichi," Kaito declared, bumping his fists together.

"Yeah, let's find the truth together," Tsumugi nodded.

Rantaro nodded his head. "It's critical we find out what happened that day."

"Gonta like to know truth."

"Atua states that we will find out the truth today."

As the energy and determination around everyone rose, one student glanced at everyone critically.

Maki scoffed. "I don't really care, but why are you so pumped to find the murderer? If I remember correctly, you guys weren't this determined to find out Ryoma's murderer."

When Maki mentioned that, the realization of her words struck the students.

"You telling us we shouldn't even care!?" Miu screamed in outrage.

Kaito sent Maki a shocked expression, as if he didn't expect Maki to say such a thing.

Maki glared at Miu. "I never said we shouldn't care-stop putting words in my mouth! All I said was that the energy level didn't match the first case."

Before anybody could protest, Shuichi nodded his head in agreement. "I have to agree with Maki on this one. I understand now. When Maki mentioned that the energy level didn't match the first case, she meant it as if we cared more about Kokichi's death than Ryoma's. It's disrespectful to Ryoma, because we didn't react this heavily for him. So, the least we can do to respect his death is to approach Kokichi's death with the same focus and level-headedness from the first case."

Some of the classmates looked down at shame, as Shuichi's explanation reached their ears.

"Are you kidding me!?" Kaede snapped. "I don't really know Ryoma that well, so how else do I react? But Kokichi...I love him! This isn't a just a classmate or a friend, but I literally love him! So, for you to ask me to tone down my feelings for him, it's impossible."

Tears were beginning to form in Kaede's eyes and were soon dripping down. Perhaps crying was contagious, because Gonta, Miu and Himiko were crying thereafter.

"Y-Yeah. H-He changed my whole life!" Miu added in, while her tears were also starting to fall.

"Wahhhh. Why'd he have to die?" Himiko wailed.

"Gonta sad that everyone else is sad."

The crying must have been uncomfortable, because some of the students looked at their feet or looked elsewhere.

It was at that moment that Rantaro spoke up. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we are at a class trial. We still need to find out who killed Kokichi."

Rantaro's words sparked a fire under Kaede. Here she was, crying about Kokichi's death again. When in reality, she should be finding out which of her classmates killed her hero. She could cry all she want after the trial, but for now, she had a mission and that was to avenge Kokichi. The killer had to be punished, there was no way the killer was going to get away scot-free. Quickly, Kaede wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Kekeke...so, Kokichi's body was found in Kirumi's Maid Lab. However, nobody could get into her lab, so that means she's the most likely culprit." Korekiyo stated.

"I think that could be true. When I investigated Kokichi's body, I found this," Kaede replied, pulling out a motive video.

"Is that a motive video?" Tsumugi asked.

Rantaro stared at the video. "So, whose motive video does that belong to?"

"The video belonged to...Kirumi," Kaede answered.

"Doesn't this mean Kirumi is the culprit?" Angie cheerfully asked. "Since it could be possible that Kirumi saw her motive video from Kokichi."

Kaede looked at Kirumi. She didn't say anything so far and she was looking down at the ground. Based on her actions so far, it could be plausible that she's guilty. But at the same time, something seemed off...

"It could be possible," Kaede said. "But how do we know Kirumi saw her motive video? Kirumi, I'm going to ask you five questions. Nod your head for yes or shake your head for no."

Kirumi seemed surprised by the request, but she nodded her head to show that she understood.

"Kirumi, are you a maid?"

Kirumi nodded her head. She looked at Kaede, like she expected her to know that answer already.

"Are you a boy?"

The maid looked at Kaede with a confused look. Kirumi seemed surprised about the oddity of the questions and shook her head.

"Do you like Kokichi?"

This time, Kirumi nodded her head. Perhaps a little too quickly.

"Do you love Kokichi?"

Kirumi hesitated for a moment. She seemed to ponder the question for a few seconds before she nodded her head.

"Are you a prime minister?"

Once again, Kirumi sent Kaede a confused look. The maid shook her head.

Kaede had seen enough. If there was one thing she learned from being around Kokichi, it was whether a person was lying or not. So far, it seemed like Kirumi didn't lie on any of those questions. By asking obvious and unordinary questions, the pianist had a better grasp of which questions the maid would react to the most. When Kaede asked Kirumi if she was a boy or a prime minister, the maid sent her odd and confused looks. In fact, she had reacted to the fifth question the same as the second question. There was no widening of the pupils, shocked expressions or anything. However, Kaede knew that Kirumi had a good poker face, but she really doubted it would work in such a high pressure scenario.

"Kekeke, does this really matter?" Korekiyo asked, interrupting Kaede's thoughts. "She is the only one that could enter her own lab."

The pianist nodded her head. "It does matter, because I think Kirumi didn't kill Kokichi. In fact, I don't think she even had a motive to."

"I disagree," Shuichi objected. "Why did Kokichi go into Kirumi's maid lab? They probably had a reason for them to meet up and that reason was for Kokichi to give the motive video to Kirumi."

"It's not likely, because she messed up the questions. When Kirumi shook her head for two questions, in actuality, one of the questions were true." Kaede insisted. Before she continue her explanation, a voice cut her off.

"Kekeke, so?" Korekiyo asked. "That just means she lied for one question."

Kaede stared hard at Korekiyo. "Is that what you think? Or maybe it's possible she never even saw the video. I was carefully looking at her expressions during the questioning. She had the same confused look when I asked if she was a boy or a prime minister. There were no difference in reactions, so I can say for certain that she's not lying."

"Perhaps she has a good poker face," Tsumiugi suggested. "It could be possible."

"In this situation? I highly doubt it," Kaede shook her head.

However, Kirumi's calm and gloomy demeanour was gone in an instant. "Wait, I'm a boy? It can't be, I'm definitely certain I'm a female. A prime minister? I'm just a maid, there's no way I'm the prime minister. What? Kaede, are you lying?"

A few classmates glanced at Kaede. They too didn't seem like they believed that Kirumi was a boy or a prime minister. Either idea sounds preposterous.

"See, you still think Kirumi is the culprit? Her reaction to the information shows that she really didn't know about the motive video." Kaede told everyone.

"Wait! Which one is it? Is Kirumi actually a boy or the prime minister?" Himiko asked.

Everyone turned to Kaede. They too wanted to know which one was the truth.

Kaede was going to announce the truth, but her mind suddenly drifted to Kokichi. What would he do in this situation? Obviously he would make a joke out of all this. Really, she shouldn't toy with everyone's feelings and opinions, and this was a serious matter...but doing a tribute for him couldn't hurt. Really, the pianist was sure the boy would smile at what she's about to do next.

"Kirumi's a male."

The moment she announced that, everyone was shocked. Kirumi looked like she was about to pass out. Angie was delighted with the news, since she was happy that there were no more secrets between them. Tsumugi, Gonta, Kaito, Kiibo, Miu and Himiko all had shocked expressions on their faces. Shuichi, Rantaro and Maki all had neutral expressions, but they too were unnerved by the news.

Korekiyo probably took the news hard, as he was mumbling words like, "can't be, can't be."

Maybe this was why Kokichi was always joking around. The expressions on their faces was so funny, if only the situation wasn't so dire.

"Nope~I'm joking. It's the other one. Kirumi is actually the president."

When Kaede mentioned that, everyone turned on her.

"Huh? You were joking?"

"Girl, don't play with my heart!" Korekiyo screeched. "Is Kirumi a male or not!?"

"Relax," Kaede soothed, as she put her hands behind her head and flashed everyone a grin. It was the same posture and expression that she had seen Kokichi do so many times. "It's just a joke, I just...wanted to tribute that joke for him. Really, Kirumi isn't a male. Kirumi is the prime minister."

Kirumi looked like she was on the verge of passing out with all the newfound information. Korekiyo sighed in relief, it didn't seem like he cared all that much about Kirumi being a prime minister. The others all had shocked expressions. This time, Shuichi and Maki were appalled. Only Rantaro had a neutral expression still.

"Are you lying again?" Maki asked.

"I'm not, that's literally what the motive video said about Kirumi," Kaede insisted. "I have the motive video with me, so do some of you guys want to see? However, do not show the video to Kirumi, it may trigger something bad."

Rantaro nodded and took the motive video from Kaede. As he watched, his expression morphed from neutral to genuine surprise.

"I'm afraid Kaede is telling the truth. Kirumi really is the prime minister," Rantaro noted. "That's quite a pleasant surprise."

Rantaro handed the video back to Kaede.

"Then why did you invite Kokichi to your lab room?" Himiko sternly asked. She seemed intent on finding out the reason.

"I wanted to make him happy and talk to him. He is quite reliable, but I had no idea what was about to happen at that time." Kirumi answered, although her face seemed more pale than before. It was perhaps due to the joke of being a boy and the fact that was literally a prime minister.

Rantaro nodded his head. "So, Kirumi doesn't have a motive to kill Kokichi, since she hadn't seen the motive video. But now the big question is which of us poisoned Kokichi?"

Before anyone replied, Shuichi shook his head. "Just because Kirumi didn't see her motive video, it doesn't rule her out as a suspect. She is the only one to enter the lab."

"Hey Kirumi, who entered your research lab!?" Miu demanded.

"After all the motive videos were released, I only invited Kokichi. I can definitely understand if that makes me suspicious." Kirumi answered.

"Doesn't that mean Kirumi is the murderer?" Angie asked. "Well, that's what Atua thinks."

There were a few nods of agreement from the other students.

Miu groaned at Kirumi's answer. "That's not what I meant. Who went into your room before the motive videos are released!?"

When Miu mentioned "before", a lot of the classmates froze. Was Miu suspecting someone to commit the murder a few days in advance?

Kirumi frowned as she pondered the answer. "Well, a lot of people have came into my research lab. Maki, Kiibo, Shuichi, Himiko, Kaede, Kokichi, Korekiyo and Tsumugi."

"How is that supposed to answer anything?" Shuichi asked. "It can't possibly be a murder before the motive videos, because we wouldn't have a motive to kill in the first place!"

"Yeah, Shuichi's right!" Kaito exclaimed, supporting his friend. "That's also way too many suspects! How are we supposed to narrow it down?"

"This is so dumb," Maki muttered. "It's obvious that it's Kirumi."

"Shut up brats! Including Kirumi, there's eight suspects! Basically, the only ones free of suspicion as of now are Rantaro, Angie, Kaito, Gonta and myself!" Miu declared.

"Kekeke, why are you off the list?" Korekiyo asked. "It's possible that you could have broken in with one of your inventions or if you were good at lock picking? Actually, isn't it more suspicious that five people didn't go into Kirumi's research lab?"

"I was praying to Atua. That's why I didn't enter Kirumi's lab," Angie cheerfully answered. "Atua is first priority, you know?"

"I was just working out," Kaito replied as he looked away. "And I suppose I was hanging out with Kiibo, Shuichi and Maki."

"Gonta was looking at insects."

"I was in my room," Rantaro answered.

"And I was making some wonderful inventions!" Miu declared.

Kaede could see Miu's reasoning, but she wasn't sure how this was going to narrow down the suspects. "So, there's eight suspects. How do we narrow it down?"

"Hahaha, isn't it obvious? We already know who the murderer is now. It's Maki!" Miu pointed at Maki. "She's the one who could easily kill without batting an eye."

Maki glared at Miu. "Do you want to die?"

"Hahaha, see my point! She's the murderer!" Miu announced.

Maki glared intensely at Miu. Now that some of the classmates thought about it, Maki was always relatively angry.

"Kekeke, I see. Maki has expressed hatred towards Kokichi, so it's plausible she's the culprit. And she would have a motive to target him before the motive videos came out anyways. So, Maki must be guilty!" Korekiyo insisted.

"That's right. Maki has been extremely violet these days. She could've committed a murder," Tsumugi stated. "And Kaede called her an assassin."

"Yeah, what's the damn deal!? Why lie about your Ultimate talent?" Miu demanded.

"Hey, cut it out guys! Stop blaming Maki!" Kaito defended.

Maki glared at everyone before she relented. "This is why I kept it a secret. If I have told you guys, I would always be suspected."

"Damn right! You are an assassin!" Miu yelled. "Who in the right mind would trust an assassin?"

"Stop it!" Kaito roared. "I believe in her! So if she didn't do it, she didn't do it!"

A slight blush appeared on Maki's face.

Shuichi nodded his head. "Yes, I believe in Maki and Kaito as well. How do we even know the murderer did the deed before the motive videos? In fact, there wouldn't be a motive and if that were the case, Kokichi would've died before the motive videos right?"

"Yeah!" Kaito agreed. "Did Kokichi drink any of those drinks before the motive videos?"

Kirumi nodded his head. "He did drink some carbonated drinks before the motive videos and nothing happened at the time."

Kiibo finally spoke up, "This settles it. It must be Kirumi, as it couldn't have happened before the motive videos."

"Blah, blah, blah. All I heard is rubbish. You guys are full of shit," Miu cursed at the group. "When I investigated the carbonated drinks, I found something interesting. Based on the cupboard size, it could contain probably six carbonated drinks. Three in the front and three in the back. Kirumi, did you give Kokichi a carbonated drink near the back of the cupboard?"

Kirumi looked at Miu with a curious expression. "Yes, the cupboard can contain six carbonated drinks. I handed him the one at the front before the motive videos. And I gave Kokichi the carbonated drink at the back. But why? Why would this matter?"

"What you dipshits don't get is that this murder was planned beforehand. The carbonated drinks at the front are normal and the carbonated drinks at the back are full of poison," Miu explained. "So, the murder must have happened before the motive videos!"

Gasps were heard.

"Before the motive videos?" Tsumugi repeated, like she couldn't believe that.

"So, there are eight possible culprits?" Angie asked.

Shuichi shook his head. "How do we know if what you're saying is the truth? There isn't a way to test if the drink contained poison."

"What do you guys think I was doing? With my inventions, I was able to capture a lot of wild animals in the Academy like rabbits. Then, I gave them some of the soda. Or I coated a food with the soda, say I coated a carrot with the soda. It was a trial. As it turned out, all the carbonated drinks at the front, nothing happened to the animals. But the carbonated drinks at the back, there were some instant deaths."

"How horrible! Animal abuse!" Himiko cried, pointing an accusing finger at Miu.

"Well brat, how else are you supposed to find out it was poison? I can't kill someone with the poison, so the next big thing are animals!" Miu retorted.

Kaede frowned. She wasn't a fan that Miu had to poison animals around the Academy, but in this case...well, the end justified the means right?

"How horrible!" Himiko yelled. "The worst human in Earth."

Miu glared at the witch. "Well, how else was I going to find out if it was poison? And since I didn't want to waste all my time searching for animals, I used the rabbit in your Magician Lab."

Himiko cried out, her tears were falling. "Not bunny! You're a horrible human being!"

Korekiyo laughed. Then, his voice turned serious. "How can you even enter Himiko's lab?"

A few classmates looked at Miu in alarm. How did she enter her lab?

"Duh, the door was wide open. I don't know why, but I just went in and pulled out the rabbit."

By that point, everyone turned to Himiko.

"Um...I think I left the door open when I found out there was another murder. I immediately rushed out, so I don't think I closed it," Himiko replied. She seemed ashamed by the fact that she left the door open.

"That settles it! One of the eight are guilty," Angie declared. "And Maki seems like the most likely to kill Kokichi."

"Sorry to interrupt you guys again, but I have to ask something," Rantaro broke into the conversation. "Where did one of us even attain poison? I don't think poison is something easily accessible to, especially in this academy."

Everyone blinked in alarm. How did the murderer attain poison?

There was silence. Nobody could figure out where the poison came from.

 _'Oh cute Kaede, sometimes you got to expect the unexpected'_

Kaede blinked. That was a quote she had heard from Kokichi, back when they first met. She wasn't sure why that quote reached the forefront of her brain, but perhaps it was Kokichi trying to tell her something. She wasn't really sure why or how to explain it, but the blonde was going to trust that instinct.

"Sometimes you got to expect the unexpected."

Kaede's quote immediately caught the attention of everyone.

"Huh!? Are you saying it isn't Maki here? She has a reason to target Kokichi!" Miu exclaimed.

Kaede shook her head. "I'm not saying that. Maki is still a prime suspect."

Miu angrily turned to her. "Then, what the hell are you saying!?"

The pianist sighed. She was going to explain it to everyone. "Well, I think we have a solid grasp right now everyone. Based on all the conclusive evidence, there are eight suspects, including myself. However, we should narrow it down even further, based on our research labs."

"R-Research labs?" Shuichi asked. "How would that help?"

"Man, I'm telling ya guys, it's obviously Maki!" Miu insisted. "Trust me on this."

"Stop blaming Maki!" Kaito defended once again.

"Stop!" Rantaro shouted, cutting the argument between Miu, Maki and Kaito. "Let Kaede speak. We don't have much time."

Kaede nodded her head to Rantaro. She appreciated the gesture. "First, I think we have some conclusive evidence that Kirumi is not the murderer. Back to my main point...I think the poison may have come from a research lab. Based on the open labs, Miu, Himiko, Kirumi, Gonta and mine does not contain any poison. So, us five cannot be the murderer. Now, the eight suspects have been narrowed down to five, as Himiko, Kirumi and I cannot be the murderer."

Maki instantly scoffed. "How like you...to get your friends and yourself out of the mess immediately."

Kaede narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "So, that trims our five suspects to Maki, Kiibo, Shuichi, Korekiyo and Tsumugi."

"Hey, my friends can't be suspects!" Kaito objected. "So, it's Korekiyo and Tsumugi. And I think it's Korekiyo! We can never tell what he's thinking, because we can never see his face."

"Yeah!" Tsumugi nodded in agreement.

"It is true that it's suspicious that we can't see his face." Himiko pondered. "It could be possible that Korekiyo is the culprit."

At that moment, Korekiyo frowned.

"But, there's one open lab we never went into and that was Maki's," Kaede stated. "So, she still is our main suspect."

"Like I said, stop blaming Maki!" Kaito defended.

"Maki?" Kiibo jumped back in alarm. It may be a dawning realization to the robot that his friend Maki could actually be a murderer.

"I'm afraid to say it's true," Shuichi sadly sighed. "Maki wouldn't even allow Kiibo, Kaito and I to enter her room. And we're her friends."

"Shuichi, you're suppose to cover her back!" Kaito roared, turning to the detective.

"Anyways!" Kaede screamed. "What's in her room!? If she is the Ultimate Assassin, poison could be inside her room for all we know, because she never let us in!"

"Damn right!" Miu added in. "She's obviously the culprit!"

Maki was about to retort when Kaito jumped in.

"She let me in that one time! Her room contains weapons, crossbows and guns. But there is no poison in that room!" Kaito declared. "Trust me, I swear!"

A lot of the classmates seemed troubled on who to believe.

"That's obviously full of shit!" Miu roared back.

Kaede sighed. She was certain it was Maki, but could there be another possibility? Before she knew it, a familiar quote popped up on her brain once again.

 _'Oh cute Kaede, sometimes you got to expect the unexpected'_

Kokichi. Personally, Kaede was nervous as a wrecking ball. Without his presence, she was lost. But even then, she couldn't really explain it, but she felt like he was guiding her. Yes, even when he was gone, she felt like he was by her side. Perhaps Maki was the obvious choice, but it was supposed to be someone entirely different...

"Wait a second, let's look at the four other suspects." Kaede suggested.

Her suggestion garnered a lot of surprise from the other classmates. Kaito sighed in relief.

"Why? It's obvious Maki is the culprit!" Himiko stated, pointing at Maki. "There's no other person who could do such a thing!"

Kaede shook her head. "No, because if Kaito is telling the truth, then there wouldn't be poison in her room. And personally, I don't even think there is poison in her room. Based on how Maki acts, she would have weapons or use her bare fists. If she really was planning to kill Kokichi, she probably would want him to experience as much pain and blood as possible. That's how Maki operates."

Maki scowled at Kaede's description, but muttered, "Exactly."

Miu grunted. "Then who the hell did it?"

"There's still poison to think about. So, let's look at what could possibly be inside the locked labs," Kaede stated. "Kiibo is the Ultimate Robot, so his room will be full of technology. I highly doubt poison would be in his room. That narrows it down to three. Tsumugi is the Ultimate Cosplayer, so her room would be full of costumes, so once again, there's probably no poison in that room. We're down to two suspects. Korekiyo is the Ultimate Anthropologist, so his room would contain studies of human society and culture, as well as human development. Nothing about that talent could attribute to poison. Now, Shuichi? Ultimate Detective, I think it's plausible that his room would contain poison."

"That's not possible!" Shuichi immediately countered. "First, our research labs are locked! How could we even get in? Even if there is poison in my research lab, there is no way for me to access that lab."

Kaede nodded her head. "That's true. All your research labs are supposed to be locked, but I'm telling you that I am expecting the unexpected."

At that declaration, everyone turned to Kaede with intent gazes.

"What do you mean?" Kirumi asked. "Mind explaining?"

Kaede nodded. She had to make everyone understand her perspective. "What I'm saying is, perhaps Monokuma left a certain door open for someone. That may be unlikely, but that would explain the whole crime scene."

Shuichi gritted his teeth. "Even so, why are you accusing me? If the door was unlocked, that means anybody could've went into my research lab!"

"Hold on, I'm just wondering," Rantaro stated. "Whose motive videos does everyone have?"

Once again, Kaede had to give thanks to Rantaro. That was an idea that she had forgotten, but was very crucial to find out who killed Kokichi.

"Kokichi had Kirumi's motive video. I had Kokichi's motive video. Miu had my motive video," Kaede stated.

"Did you show your motive video to anyone?" Rantaro asked.

Both Miu and Kaede shook their heads. They had declined to see their own motive video once they saw Kokichi blatantly walking away from his own motive video.

"I had Maki's motive video!" Kaito yelled. "Didn't show it to her."

"I had Kaito's motive video," Maki mumbled. "I didn't show it to him."

"Huh, Maki-roll? You had my video?" Kaito looked at her with surprise.

"Stop calling me Maki-roll. Call me another nickname, but not that!" Maki growled.

"I had Angie's motive video," Korekiyo replied. "Also, didn't show it to her."

"Huh, I had Korekiyo's motive video and yep! The video wasn't shown to him," Angie happily said.

"Keke, what? When I asked you, you happily walked away from me!" Korekiyo growled.

Angie happily laughed. "Yep, so it's a reason for you to not commit murder."

"I had Himiko's motive video. Due to everything that happened, there was no time for me to show the video to her." Kirumi explained.

"And I had Miu's video. She didn't even want to see it, so yea..." Himiko trailed off.

"Yeah, and I got Rantaro's motive video. I never had the chance to ask him if he wanted to see it." Tsumugi insisted.

"Gonta had Kiibo's motive video," Gonta stated. "Gonta no show."

"Affirmative, I had Gonta's motive video and didn't show it to him as well."

Rantaro nodded. "That's enough, I had Tsumugi's motive video. By the way it was exchanged, the motive videos of Kokichi, Miu, Kaede, Kirumi and Himiko had it been delivered randomly five-way. Everyone else had the motive video of someone else, while that someone else had your motive video. Based on our math, one person would've gotten their own motive video, isn't that right? Shuichi."

Shuichi raised his hands in defence. "I didn't even look at my own motive video."

"Now, that sounds like a lie." Himiko pointed out to Shuichi.

"What the heck! Motive videos haven't been delivered properly. Why you little Monokubs." Monokuma glared at his Monokubs. "...Luckily, it's quite interesting."

"Where's your proof?" Shuichi asked. "There isn't any concrete evidence that I killed Kokichi. All you're doing is making assumptions. Your whole basis fails if Monokuma didn't open my research lab."

Kaede thought about it. "Shuichi, you've been quite quiet in this investigation. Aren't you the Ultimate Detective? Instead, you tried to direct our attention and blame onto Kirumi. When that didn't work out, you actually argued for Maki being the culprit."

"Shuichi, what the heck!?" Kaito whirled to Shuichi.

"N-No, I didn't. I was just stating facts," Shuichi insisted. "Look, you guys are all going to die if you choose me as the blackened!"

"Is that a threat?" Miu demanded as she narrowed her eyes.

Shuichi shook his head violently. "No, it's the truth!"

Monokuma laughed. "Well, now that time has run out...It's voting time!" With that said, Monokuma sprung into action. "Please cast your votes in front of the game pad. Who's gonna get chosen as the culprit? Will your choice be right or hopefully wrong? What's it gonna be?"

Everyone was shocked. They hadn't determined who the culprit was.

"Guys, please! I'm certain it's Shuichi." Kaede insisted. She had to make sure everyone was certain to vote for Shuichi.

"What are you saying?" Shuichi barked. "The room was locked and motive videos happened recently. I couldn't have gone in after the motive videos were released. And if you insist I did it before the motive videos, then I would have no reason to target Kokichi or attain poison in any way! Think guys! Think!"

"Gonta no can choose!" Gonta yelled out, he was clearly in disarray about the prospect of selecting who murdered Kokichi.

"Hmm, who's the one? Who's the one?" Angie happily wondered. "That is something Atua must decide."

Maki frowned. "It's obviously Kirumi."

"Please trust me," Kaede insisted. "Monokuma could be behind this and if he was, then Shuichi is obviously the one!"

"You're trying to get us killed!" Shuichi yelled. "Guys, it's obviously Kirumi. You guys trust me, right?"

Everyone was torn on who to vote. There were quite a few options to vote for. Maki. Shuichi. Kirumi. Which of the three killed Kokichi?

At this point, Kaede turned to her friends. Miu. Kirumi. Himiko. Hopefully, they would pick Shuichi. Kaede was certain that Shuichi was the culprit. At the same time, she felt like she could visualize a ghost Kokichi, nodding besides her. He was telling her that she was making the right decision. Either that or she's gotten delusional, but the pianist would rather not admit the latter part.

At the same time, Kaede could see Shuichi pleading with his friends as well. The detective was telling Kaito, Maki and Kiibo to vote for Kirumi.

Based on everything so far, it was at a possible four to four. That means the other five votes are deciding the whole outcome. Their fates rested on Korekiyo, Angie, Gonta, Rantaro and Tsumugi.

"Vote already!" Monokuma yelled. "Stop stalling!"

Quickly, Kaede sent a look to Rantaro. He frowned and quickly looked away from her. For Kaede, she was praying for a miracle. If Kokichi was here, he would probably solved this case easy.

Kaede pressed the button on Shuichi.

Once they finished voting, the screen lit up.

The pianist could feel her heart beat heavily. She had no idea who everyone else voted for. It was unpredictable, unlike the first trial. And that unpredictability was scary!

"Now, it seems the voting has finished. Let's see the result." Monokuma gleefully smiled.

The screen popped up from above, it was slowly going down. Kaede felt like she could have a heart attack any second now.

Then, the votes appeared besides the avatars.

Gonta had one vote. Maki had one vote. Kirumi had five votes. Shuichi had six votes.

The roulette wheel began to play and stopped on Shuichi's face. And the screen declared him...Guilty!

Monokuma laughed. "Look like you guys are correct! That was quite a close vote. Hahaha, the one who killed Kokichi Oma was Shuichi Saihara!"

Shuichi sighed. "I guess this is game over for me. And I thought I would beat this game."

"Shuichi? No way!" Kaito denied. "It can't be."

Kiibo shook his head. "I can't believe it."

Maki didn't say anything.

"Why? Why'd you killed Kokichi!?" Himiko shrieked.

Shuichi stared intently at Himiko. "It's because he's obviously the smartest here, and he has the greatest influence of four people. That would be deadly in a trial. With him gone, I thought I was going to win this game easily, but who knew you guys would caught on? Even with limited evidence."

"You killed him before the motive videos! So, you were deceiving us from the start." Kaede snapped.

The detective looked at the blonde. "That's wrong, I got my motive video a few days early from Monokuma. You guys were the one who got your motive videos late."

"What was in your motive video?" Rantaro asked. "It obviously must be something big if it drove you to commit murder."

"Nope, I just remembered everything. Maybe mine was special." Shuichi shook his head. Then, all of a sudden, his face had morphed with a certain crazy edge to it. "This is all a game and I just tried to win it! I wanted to give everyone a show to remember! The detective being a murderer, that's unheard of. Hahaha, I wanted to give everyone a show!"

At the sudden declaration, everyone backed away. It was like he had suddenly turned crazy.

"So how did you attain the poison?" Korekiyo asked.

Shuichi crazily laughed, as he looked at Korekiyo. "It's just like Kaede had said! Monokuma gave me the key to my own research lab. He personally delivered my motive video and key to my room. Then, I placed that poison into the carbonated drinks. By placing the poisoned drinks at the back, I could tell everyone that the poison was recently done. Unfortunately, I got toppled. I wanted to win Danganronpa so bad!"

"D-Danganronpa?"

Before anyone could say anything, Monokuma popped up.

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's Punishment Time!"

 **Game Over**

 **Shuichi has been found guilty!**

 **Time for the punishment!**

Shuichi sat in a desk in a nice office. He looked around and before he knew it, he was covered with a blindfold. Then, he felt an immense pain from his back. Quickly, Shuichi turned around, but there was no point as he couldn't see who had targeted him.

Pain erupted from his left shoulder. Then, his right shoulder.

As this was going on, Monokuma was attacking him heavily with a sword.

Shuichi smiled. So, this was how his Danganronpa ending was going to be like. His death was going to be a mystery, as he continuously get attacked. Well, the answer was obvious. It was the Monokubs, but at the same time, was it?

Bam. Bam. Bam.

It didn't matter too much. It was a shame that he was going to have to die. He was so close to winning the game as well! Just one vote...

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Before long, Shuichi laid on the ground bloody and dead.

Before anyone knew what happened, Monokuma jumped back to his seat and pressed a button, releasing a quick BOOM.

* * *

"Huh, what happened? Monophanie!" Monotaro yelled in anguish.

Monodam glared at Monokuma.

Monokuma looked at his sons with an evil smile. "This is what happens when you're slow or fail to listen to my orders. You go boom-boom. So, find Monosuke, alright?"

While the whole scene happened, Kaito was crying. Kiibo was frowning. They were clearly not expecting Shuichi to commit murder. Even Maki seemed disturbed. In some way, Kaede felt bad for them, but it really didn't matter to her.

Suddenly, a ghost Kokichi appeared in front of her. Obviously, it was not real...but she wished it was.

The ghost Kokichi flashed Kaede his unique grin. ' _Thank you Kaede'_

Then, the ghost vanished.

Kaede blinked. She was glad that she made the him happy, even though it was in ghost form. Perhaps Kaede was becoming delusional, but somewhere, she was certain that Kokichi was watching her.

* * *

Kaede walked into her lab and went straight for the piano. She began to play the tune that Kokichi and her had made together. The song that they were going to release to the world when they get out of this killing game.

"Kokichi, this is our song. Hopefully, this song reaches you."

* * *

Surviving Students: 12

* * *

 **Okay, I am certain there is going to be some backlash for this scene. I know, Kokichi died two chapters ago? And now, Shuichi died? I know, I already killed two of the main characters before the halfway point. But hear me out, the mastermind has a lot of control. As you guys may have noticed, Shuichi's motive video was special. He had gotten it a few days beforehand, a key to his own research lab and his motive video was actually his memories of the past. Let's be honest. If Monokuma showed everyone their memories before the killing game, even guys like Kaito would be driven to kill.**

 **As I said before, this case was huge! The next case might be even bigger! Keep in mind that there is still the Necronomicon. So, for all you guys missing Kokichi, there is still a way for him to come back! But we'll see what happens from this point on.**

 **How did you guys feel about this chapter? I've gotten a few reviews about my pacing for the first case, so this time, I dedicated a whole chapter solely for the case. This time, I think I did a better job. But give me your thoughts on the this class trial?**

 **Did you guys correctly predict the murderer? Who did you guys initially pick to be the murderer? I'm certain it was somewhat obvious it was Shuichi, but there were quite a few moments in this case that pushed you from Kirumi to Maki to (Korekiyo?) to Shuichi.**

 **Hopefully, I left you guys undecided at the end when Kaede and Shuichi argue against each other...Oh, the irony! Shuichi played the song for Kaede after the trial and in this case, Kaede played their song for Kokichi. Do any of you guys wonder if my story has some parallels to the original game? It's an interesting concept to** **incorporate, but if it's too much, just let me know...**

 **If you guys want to know who voted for who, here it is...**

 **Gonta- Gonta**

 **Miu- Maki**

 **Korekiyo, Maki, Shuichi, Kiibo, Kaito- Kirumi**

 **Kirumi, Himiko, Kaede, Angie, Tsumugi, Rantaro- Shuichi**

 **Anyways, please share your thoughts and opinions on this chapter! It would be greatly** **appreciated!**


	8. Current Mood

**Wow, the support for this fanfic is** **overpowering! I definitely appreciate it!**

* * *

Chapter 8- Current Mood

After the second class trial, the current vibes at the academy were of confusion, grief and anger.

For Kaede, she was still weeping in her room. She was on her bed, clutching a pillow heavily. Almost as if the pillow was Kokichi and he would disappear if she let go. Speaking about Kokichi, the loss of Kokichi still hurt to the blonde. Along with the pain of losing her loved one, her brain was telling her that this killing game was indeed real. Even though she knew it was real before, she had always been in denial. This was no longer the case, but did she have a reason to go on? The violet haired boy had been a guiding light to her and he was now gone. Prior to the class trial, she was determined to find the murderer, in order to avenge him. Now, she wasn't too sure what she should do.

Kaede's thoughts were a mess and she was certain it was getting more disorientated as time passed. The blonde turned to the left side of her bed, she should really get some sleep. However, what was there to sleep about? She had a certain inkling that her dreams would be plagued by nightmares. So what was the point?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three knocks had been applied to her door, but Kaede didn't move. It was already night time, so who would want to talk to her so late at night? Maybe it was her best friend Miu. The two blondes had shared a lot of their secrets between each other, so it would make sense if the inventor came to her, in order to express how she felt about the situation. But at the same time, Kaede didn't want to see Miu. If Miu was determined to move on after this case, Kaede would be angry that Kokichi meant so little to the inventor. Yet, if Miu was depressed, that wouldn't help either. Kaede hated seeing her friends sad, so that may be what drew her to a certain violet haired boy. In fact, Kaede couldn't even recall a time where Kokichi had frowned, since he was always smiling. And even if there was a time he didn't smile, it was obviously a joke. There really wasn't a time where Kokichi was truly sad.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Whoever at the door was quite persistent. Perhaps it wasn't Miu. Based on the pianist's experience with Miu, the inventor was quite inpatient. Surely, she would've knocked louder and harder. However, the knocks were of the same tone and volume. Who else could it be? Kaito? The astronaut tried to console her a few times after Kokichi died. At first, she appreciated the gesture from Kaito, but enough was enough. During the class trial, he had approached her a few times to talk about trusting in friends and some other topics, but Kaede hadn't really paid much attention towards him at that time. If Kaede didn't know better, she was sure that the astronaut was trying to distract her from the class trial. After all, she was dedicated to finding the blackened and here he was, sprouting about trust and friendship? With Kaito's determined opinions about trust and friends, Kaede couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. After all, one of the students had poisoned Kokichi, so obviously there was no need to trust as many people as possible. Initially, Kaede was all about trust and friends, similar to Kaito, but reality could be brutal. Especially when Kaito's supposed "friend" killed Kokichi.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Kaede ignored the knocks. She wasn't in the mood to see Miu or Kaito. In fact, she wasn't in the mood to see anyone at all!

Quickly, Kaede turned to the other side of the bed, facing away from the door. Whoever it was, Kaede didn't want to deal with it.

* * *

The morning after the class trial, only seven people appeared at the dining hall. Those seven people were Maki, Kiibo, Angie, Korekiyo, Gonta, Rantaro and Tsumugi.

"Hmm, where is everyone?" Angie cheerfully asked.

"True, I haven't spotted any of our classmates," Kiibo pointed out. The robot had a frown plastered on his face. It was clear that the last case was still fresh on his mind.

"Hmm, never mind that. I would expect a few people to not be here," Korekiyo shook his head as he observed who was here and who wasn't. "But it is such a shame that Kirumi isn't here, since she is the Ultimate Maid."

"After what we've seen lately, I'm not surprised a few people a few people didn't show up," Maki scoffed. As she scoffed, she glanced around the dining hall. Almost as if Kaito will show up soon. When she realized Kaito wasn't coming anytime soon, she crossed her arms and muttered, "Weak."

"Oh! Even Kaito!" Angie cheerfully announced. "Isn't that right?"

At that point, Maki sent a glare to Angie. Maki was clearly agitated. However, Angie started to feign ignorance.

Kiibo pointed at Angie and declared, "You remind me of a certain someone!"

Angie continued to feign ignorance. Then, she placed her hands behind her head and tilted her head in an innocent manner. "Oh, you mean Kokichi?"

Kiibo nodded. "That's right."

"Um, why did you refer Kokichi as someone?" Tsumugi asked. The blue haired girl seemed a bit confused about the scene that was playing out in front of her.

"Kekeke, now that I think about it, that's quite a good question. I wonder about Kiibo's reason as well," Korekiyo added in.

"Gonta wants to know!"

Kiibo froze. It seemed like he wasn't sure about how to explain himself. There was a silence for a few seconds, but Angie soon urged Kiibo to stop stalling and that Atua would appreciate him telling everyone the reason. After taking a sigh and a nonchalant shrug, the robot boy faced the group. "The boy was quite rude. He also blamed me for false accusations at the start of the game! I always felt like he was up to no good. Additionally, he would always call me 'robot', so there shouldn't be a problem if I refer him as 'boy' or 'him'."

The other students absorbed what they heard from the robot.

Immediately, Maki nodded his head. "That's correct. I always felt like something was off about him. If he didn't die in the last case trial, I'm certain he would've committed murder to one of us."

Gonta shook his head solemnly. "Gonta don't think so. Kokichi not type to commit murder."

A small laugh could be heard from one of the classmates. It was from Korekiyo. "Kekeke, I'm not so sure about that. It's probably true that Kokichi was probably the most dangerous person here, but he was the most unpredictable too."

Kiibo and Maki instantly agreed to Korekiyo's opinion. Angie hummed as she considered the masked boy's words. Tsumugi remained silent, while Gonta claimed that Kokichi wasn't evil.

While the scene played out, Rantaro continued to observe the six other students in the dining hall. He had kept quiet for quite a while, but that was a necessary action he had to take. The amount of attention Kokichi had received doomed him from the start. That huge amount of attention made him a target, especially to some of the classmates here. Rantaro was not going to follow Kokichi's footsteps. He was going to tackle this game discreetly. Still, his attention shifted back to the violet haired boy. The boy had made a huge impact on the game. It was such a shame that he died. Kokichi would've been a perfect ally if he didn't get poisoned by Shuichi.

Rantaro closed his eyes. It was now up to him. He was going to finish what Kokichi started.

* * *

Kirumi felt sick. She wasn't really sick, but she was at unease. After the whole incident in her lab room, she had kept herself locked in her own room. But the room at the moment...was messy. For once, Kirumi's urge to clean wasn't there. How could it be? Kokichi had just died. In some way, it wasn't Shuichi that killed Kokichi, it was her. If she didn't serve him the drinks at the back, he would've survived. A feeling told her that it was unavoidable and that it would only prolong the inevitable, but the guilt was eating her up right now. It was so bad that her eyes were red from all the crying and lack of sleep. Additionally, her skin was as pale as a ghost.

That was a reason why she didn't meet up with everyone at the dining hall this morning. She probably would've scared everyone...and there was no need for her to go to the dining hall since she was a failure of a maid. The maid couldn't even protect anyone, let alone serve a person a drink correctly. And as she thought about it more, a different thought struck her. Why should she care? Why should she be the one to serve everyone? Why should she be the one to bear all the responsibility? Being a maid got her in this mess in the first place!

Kirumi didn't realize it, but she was clenching her fists. As she thought about her whole experience of being a maid, she only got more incensed. All the people pushed their own responsibilities to her and...she accepted all of it! An angry snarl erupted from the vexed maid. If the motive video was true and she was the Prime Minister...then once again, all the responsibilities got pushed on her! Again!

Bam!

The lamp hit the wall fiercely and broke into pieces. Normally, Kirumi would've rushed to clean that lamp, but she could only stare at the lamp with mild surprise. The feeling that she could just do what she wanted felt wonderful. All the bent-up frustration that she had was unleashed on that lamp.

Suddenly, she remembered a distant memory between her and Kokichi. It was only several weeks ago, but to her, it felt like it was quite a long time ago for some reason. It was one of the first few conversations that she had with the boy. The grey haired girl wasn't sure why that memory popped up at this specific time, but she wasn't going to complain.

 _Flashback_

 _"Kirumi!" a certain violet haired boy called out._

 _At that time, Kirumi was cleaning up and doing some laundry for some of her classmates. When she heard a voice call out to her, she turned around._

 _"Yes?" the maid asked, as she bowed her head slightly. "Is there something you need?"_

 _Kokichi had his hands behind his pockets. He had a grin plastered on his face. "Nope. There's nothing, just want to see whatcha up to."_

 _"Cleaning and laundry." Kirumi curtly answered. Then she turned around and began to walk towards her destination. However, she only got a few steps in before she felt something on her shoulder. She tilted her head to see who or what it was. An arm was draped over her shoulder, and the person who did that was none other than Kokichi. "What are you doing?"_

 _Kokichi immediately released his arm from Kirumi's shoulder. He had a started expression on his face before it morphed into a pout. "Kirumi, so mean!"_

 _The maid ignored the boy and began to walk away from the boy. Sure, she had been a little harsh on the boy, but she really did have a lot to do today. Everyone was waiting for her to finish their requests, she couldn't let them down!_

 _Before she knew it, Kokichi appeared in front of her. That instantly shocked her as she reeled a few inches back._

 _"Kokichi," the maid said, as she gritted her teeth. "What are you doing?"_

 _"Come on Kirumi, you need to relax a bit! When my arm was on your shoulder, you seem a little tense. Loosen up!"_

 _Kirumi stared at the boy with a look of disbelief. Of course she was going to be tense, an arm was on her shoulder! "You placed your arm on my shoulder, so of course I would be tense."_

 _The violet haired boy tilted his head in confusion. "Oh, I was talking about your shoulder. It seems a little tense, perhaps overworked? Maybe it's from all the amount of work you do. So, have some fun and relax!"_

 _His proposition was preposterous. One of the thing she hated the most was taking days off. And here he was, suggesting her to do that..._

 _"Hmm Kirumi...you should focus a little more on yourself instead of others. Maybe it'll be less stressful."_

 _Kirumi shook her head. Her life wasn't stressful, because she was helping everyone out. Before she knew it, Kokichi grabbed her wrist._

 _"Come on, let's play a game!"_

 _Kirumi frowned as the boy led her around. She was about to scold the boy when she noticed his expression. He was genuinely happy and with that, her resolve wavered._

 _Suddenly, Kokichi turned to face Kirumi. "Oh, you still seem concerned. Hmm, how about this? I request you to play with me and relax."_

 _The maid blinked. It was definitely an odd request...and he was waiting for her reply._

 _With a sigh, she stared at Kokichi._

 _"Fine, but only for twenty minutes."_

 _And once again, the sparkle in his eyes glittered._

As Kirumi recollected her thoughts, another feeling of regret washed over her. If she hadn't been so dedicated on fulfilling the needs of others, she could've spent a lot more time with him. It was something that she was starting to realize.

Maybe, it wasn't too late to change.

* * *

Rantaro was astonished. Once again, he found something quite intriguing. It was weird, but whenever he went exploring, there was a certain thrill about it.

This time, he might have struck jackpot. Apparently, there was a hidden pathway from the girl's bathroom that led to the library. Additionally, the hidden location was indeed hidden from his survivor Monopad.

However, that wasn't all that important. The hidden location had given him a clue that the mastermind behind this killing game was indeed a girl. Still, there were seven girls in the academy. His chances of correctly choosing the mastermind was roughly fifteen percent.

If Kokichi was still alive, he would've been a great help in finding the mastermind.

Abruptly, footsteps could be heard. Rantaro was sweating a bit, so he quickly hid in the nearest stall. Indeed, it was quite a predicament for him. Surely, he shouldn't have went into the girl's bathroom in the first place. He wasn't a pervert. But there were so many new and unknown areas in the Academy. During the past week, Rantaro had explored the academy to the point that there wasn't anything new to explore. He found some Monocoins, but those weren't exactly achievements for him. So, the blonde teen decided to try something out of his comfort zone and explore a girl's bathroom to identify if there was anything that he should be really worried about.

As Rantaro hid in the stalls, his heart froze. What if it was the mastermind? Was this a perfect opportunity to identify who the mastermind was? Or would that just lead to his death? Rantaro contemplated his options and decided it was probably best to focus on staying hidden.

All of a sudden, the footsteps stopped. Rantaro breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello, brat."

Rantaro whirled around. It wasn't a girl, but rather a yellow Monokub. The same Monokub that had gone missing for a few days, based on what Monokuma said. It was quite a surprise to spot him. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to the robot. "What are you doing here?"

"My name's Monosuke," the tiger shaped robot coarsely stated. Monosuke sent Rantaro a hard look. "I can say the same for you. Last I checked, this was a girl's bathroom."

The blonde teen shrugged his shoulders. "You caught me there. I was just out exploring."

"Exploring?"

Rantaro nodded. "Yep, I wanted to see if there was anything peculiar about the girl's washroom and it turns out there was."

A few snickers erupted from Monosuke. "I wonder if that's truly the case."

The adventurer ignored that comment. "Anyways, why are you here? I hear you're hiding from Monokuma. Mind telling me why?"

Monosuke studied Rantaro in a calculating way. After a few seconds, he warily looked away. "How do I know I can trust you?"

That was quite a loaded question to Rantaro. After all, some of his classmates are at unease about trusting people now. In some way, he wouldn't have been surprised if one of his classmates asked him this question, but this was quite unexpected. Was this Monokub also at unease? But why?

Rantaro handed him the survivor Monopad. Surely, it would've been better if he didn't show the Monopad to him, but he had to gain the robot's trust. This was perhaps the best way to do it.

Monosuke studied the Monopad. After a few minutes, he handed it back to the Rantaro. "That was quite interesting. Even I didn't know about that!"

The adventurer nodded. "It was quite a surprise to me as well when I had it early in the game. But now, I need some answers. Why are you here? And why are you hiding from Monokuma."

There was a twitch from Monosuke. "Fine, I'll tell you everything I know. But you can't tell anyone, there are Nanokumas in the academy."

"Nanokumas?"

Monosuke huffed. "They're like insects that film everything. Extremely small and record surveillance."

The newfound knowledge hit Rantaro. He went into the girl's washroom. He found the hidden pathway. He was going to be targeted. That attention was not needed, since he had to stay under the radar.

"Relax, there aren't any here."

Rantaro sent him a quizzical look. "How do you know?"

The tiger shaped robot pulled out a remote control. It had a lot of buttons on the remote. "I have some control over the Nanokumas. There's only one thing I can do though. That is, I can direct the Nanokumas away from certain locations."

A hum came from the blonde teen in response. "So, that's how you were able to avoid Monokuma for quite a while."

"That's right." Monosuke nodded. "Although, it's a lot more harder than that. If a Nanokuma isn't at a certain location, it could make that place suspicious."

"And that applies for this place as well?" Rantaro asked.

"That's incorrect. The Nanokumas don't really go into the washrooms, they typically show in more frequent places like the dining hall, gymnasium and the pool."

That newfound knowledge was quite essential to the blonde. He was going to have to pick and choose certain locations from on out. As of now, Monosuke was quite useful. It made him wonder why he betrayed Monokuma in the first place. Well, here was his chance to find out. "So, can you tell me more?"

* * *

Knock.

"Come on in, it's open!"

Maki opened the door to see Kaito. He was laying on his bed, lost in thought.

Kaito turned his head to spot Maki. "Oh hey, Maki-roll! What's up?"

Once again, that nickname got on her nerves. It was all because of him...Kokichi. He made that nickname detestable, so why was Kaito giving her such a detestable nickname. She was glad that he had given the time and thought to create a nickname for her, but this was not the nickname she wanted.

"I hate that nickname," Maki said while gritting her teeth. "Give me a new nickname."

Kaito ruffled his hair. "Hmm, that may take me a moment. But anyways, what's up?"

Kaito's tone was cheerful, although Maki doubted he was really cheerful. After all, their friend had committed a murder. Maki had considered killing Kokichi a few times here and there, but she never actually went through with it. So, it was definitely a surprise when Shuichi plotted a murder to kill Kokichi.

"You weren't there at the dining hall," Maki stated. "Why didn't you come?"

"Oh that? Haha," Kaito laughed. "I just slept in, my bad!"

Maki pouted at his reply. "It's weird that you're not there, you know that?"

"I appreciate the concern Maki-ro...Maki," Kaito corrected himself. "I'll be there tomorrow, believe it!"

Maki smiled. That was a start, Kaito was reconsidering his nickname and seemed a little more livelier. She really wanted to see him happy. So, if Kaito had any problems, she was willing to listen. He could confide in her, right? "Do you want to talk?"

Kaito sent her a thumbs up. "Yeah! I appreciate that! I have some things on my mind."

Maki walked over to his bed. "Don't worry, tell me everything."

* * *

Monosuke had finished telling Rantaro everything he knew.

After he left, Monosuke had to go back to hiding. It wasn't bad to converse with someone. So far, he mostly hid away from Monokuma and the Nanokumas. In some way, it was like he was playing chess with Monokuma.

"Monosuke!"

Monosuke froze. He had been caught, so he quickly whirled around to spot Monotaro and Monodam. This wasn't good. He was outnumbered and running away wouldn't work. Monotaro was the fastest of the Monokubs.

"Monosuke, why are you running away?" Monotaro quizzically asked. He didn't seem mad, just confused. "And Monophanie...our dad killed her."

Monosuke couldn't believe it. That was new. For some reason, he expected Monodam to try to kill Monophanie. But this time, pops killed his own daughter. Monophanie was a perfect daughter, she loved pops. There was no way pops would kill her, unless...pops really didn't care about them. That confirmed everything. At first, Monosuke had second thoughts about running away, but now, he was sure he was doing the right thing.

"Monosuke," Monodam called in his usual monotone voice. "I am sorry for killing our brother Monokid. He was bullying me, so I thought the only way for us to all get along together was to kill him. I have made a grave mistake. Please forgive me."

Monosuke still didn't like Monodam, but it seemed like he reflected on his mistakes. He wasn't going to forgive him so easily. But, Monodam had a reason to kill Monokid. Monokuma doesn't even have a reason to kill Monophanie.

"We need to get the bombs out of our body immediately," Monodam urged.

Monosuke felt bad for his brothers. It must be horrible to have a bomb in your body that could blow up anytime. In fact, he used to have a bomb inside his body as well. It was all thanks to Kokichi, the kid knew there was a bomb inside his body. He wasn't sure how, but he felt like he owed him. The only problem was that he died...Monosuke tried searching for him one time, only to see his dead body.

"Ah! The bomb! Help Monosuke!" Monotaro cried out.

Monosuke sighed. He knew how it felt to have a bomb looming over your head. He really felt bad for them. "I know someone that can get rid of the bombs in your bodies."

* * *

"So, we will establish a student council!" Angie cheerfully exclaimed. "Atua believes that we should all live here peacefully! So, we must not succumb to murder!"

"Thank you Atua!" Gonta exclaimed, as he began to pray.

Korekiyo gritted his teeth. Why was he here again? He was currently with a buffoon and a religion loving freak. After the morning in the dining hall, Maki, Kiibo, Tsumugi and Rantaro left. He was going to leave once he finished his breakfast. However, he soon got dragged by Angie into some religious crap. And the person to his left was falling for it.

Gonta finished praying and began to face Angie. "Gonta need to see insects right now. Gonta will be back."

"Oh, don't worry. Take your time, Atua believes in you."

"Atua." Gonta declared and began to leave Korekiyo's research lab.

"I would prefer if you two don't pray in my Anthropologist Lab," Korekiyo chastised, as he sent Angie an irritated look. If those two were trying to pray in his lab, it wouldn't really be his lab at all.

"Oh, but the aura around here seems religious. It's perfect to pray for Atua here."

Korekiyo was about to protest until Angie continued.

"Besides, I know what happened in your motive video."

The masked teen sent her a hard look. The motive video for Angie's was basically religion and Atua. It was completely out of whack, but what could she have seen about his motive video?

"Apparently, you kill girls for your sister?"

Korekiyo's blood froze. She knew about that. Perhaps he could easily kill her and send her soul up to where her sister was. Really, he could target any of the girls here, as long as it wasn't Miu and Maki. Those two were not good candidates for her sister. Miu was too slutty and Maki was too dangerous.

Quickly, Korekiyo scanned his research lab. Maybe there was a weapon he could use.

"Korekiyo, are you planning to kill me?"

Korekiyo shook his head. He was going to have to fake it. "Kekeke, of course not. Why would I kill you?"

"So, you could send another girl to your sister?"

Internally, Korekiyo was incensed. How could the motive video reveal so much about him?

"But don't worry," Angie soothed. "Atua forgives you if you believe it."

Korekiyo sent Angie a glare. "So, are you trying to blackmail me into joining your student council?"

Angie shook her head. "Nope, just murder is not the right way."

"How would you know? Do you-"

Before Korekiyo could continue, Angie delivered a hug to the masked teen.

Angie looked up at Korekiyo. "Let's talk about it!"

* * *

"What are you three doing here?" an irritated Miu demanded.

"These two were wondering if you could remove the bomb from their body?" Monosuke explained. "So, please do it."

"Why the hell would I do that? Ever since I took the bomb away from your body, you haven't done jack shit!" Miu roared.

Monosuke shrunk from her fierce accusation. It was true that he hadn't done much, but what could he do against Monokuma?

"Remove the bomb from us please," Monodam insisted. "I snuck out a book from father's room. This should be a good reward for your actions."

Monosuke was appalled. He didn't expect Monodam to sneak a book out of Monokuma's room. In fact, that was almost suicide.

"Huh? What book?" Monotaro asked.

Miu looked at Monodam. He was holding a book, it seemed like the robot was expecting her to remove the bombs out of those two for simply a book. She asked, "What's inside the book? And what's it about?"

Monodam explained, "I present you with the Necronomicon. By performing the rituals as written, you can resurrect one deceased victim."

Immediately, Miu sprung up. "I'll do it!"

* * *

The mastermind was not pleased. Everything was not going according to plan. Even without Kokichi, there seemed to be more than just one simple problem.

First, Monosuke disappeared. Really, his disappearance shouldn't matter much at all, but he has that remote. That remote had the power to direct the Nanokumas to certain locations or away from certain locations. Initially, it was entrusted to him, because he was smart and it was one more thing that Monokuma didn't have to do. Who knew he would disappear? So, the next best thing was to try to kill him with the bomb inside his body. But, the yellow Monokub couldn't be found, so it was possible the bomb was deactivated or taken out. Since he has that remote, finding him was near impossible.

Second, Rantaro was still alive. Originally, the mastermind wanted Rantaro out of the game as early as possible. However, Kokichi had ended up being the bigger threat between the two. Thus, the mastermind focused on taking Kokichi out of the game. In the end, Kokichi was out of the game, but Rantaro was still alive. That was problematic.

Third, it seemed like half of the remaining students may have lost the will to live. Losing Kokichi and Shuichi had broken the will of two groups. It was possible that the remaining students choose to not participate in the killing game. That was going to hurt for all the watchers out there. The mastermind had to come up with a new motive to make the other students kill. The Necronomicon wasn't going to be used, because the mastermind couldn't afford Kokichi to come back into the game. In fact, it was possible that he messed up all the plans so far.

What motive could be used in the third case? As of now, the mastermind wasn't sure, but there were three potential killing candidates. Maki, Kaito and Korekiyo. Even with Kokichi's constant shenanigans, Kaito and Maki were friends. That wasn't going to last long. Kaito was going to die soon. If the mastermind decided to make a motive based on the antidote of Kaito's sickness, it could be possible Kaito or Maki would kill for that antidote. As for Korekiyo, he was about to send a poor girl to his dead sister. Perhaps he was already plotting a murder.

Oh well, there was no need to rush. The mastermind had time to come up with a motive. With a yawn, the mastermind stood up. It was time for the unknown person to take a nap.

As the mastermind left, the person failed to notice the Necronomicon was not on the desk.

* * *

 **Well, things are about to get interesting. The Necronomicon is now in play. There was quite a lot about some of our lesser known characters so far, ranging from Kirumi's change in attitude, Rantaro's adventure and the interaction between Korekiyo and Angie.**

 **Anyways, please share your thoughts and opinions on this chapter! I would love to know how you guys feel about this chapter.**


	9. The Motives

**It's the ninth chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9- The Motives

The next morning, Kaede went to the dining hall. Since she didn't go yesterday morning, she was certain her classmates would be worried about her. Still, she didn't feel any better than yesterday. No matter what, she couldn't forget Kokichi. Thus, the lingering hurt and sadness still remained.

When she reached the dining hall, she could hear a lot of chatter. The blonde looked around and noticed a robot, astronaut and assassin on the far end. The three of them were happily talking to each other, presumably about training. On the other end, Miu and Himiko were talking with one another, although Himiko was still depressed. Miu...she was grinning? Why was she grinning? It had only been two days or so, since Kokichi died. So why was she so happy? Was it possible that she already forgot about Kokichi's death?

Immediately, Kaede marched her way towards Miu. Oh, she had a lot to say towards her.

Yet, when she was only a few steps away from her, she noticed another group talking with one another in the corner of her eye. Kaede blinked. No way they could become friends, they all seemed a bit...odd.

Kaede turned her head to the left. Gonta, Angie and Korekiyo were all praying. That was a sight to behold. It wasn't weird to see Angie pray for Atua, and it was possible that Gonta got convinced to pray, but Korekiyo? She hadn't expected him of all the people here to pray.

Now that she thought about it, what about the other three students? As Kaede scanned the dining hall, she noticed that Rantaro and Tsumugi were both alone at the dining hall. Ouch, that got to hurt. Kaede felt bad for them. As for Kirumi...wait, where was she?

That was odd. The maid should've been the first one here. So, where was she?

A sudden dread hit her. Was it possible that she died?

The next instant, a grey haired girl appeared at the dining hall.

Kaede blinked. Was this the same Kirumi? It couldn't be, she looked so different. First, her clothes were different. She was wearing a loose grey blouse and a black skirt. There was nothing formal about her appearance at all. Additionally, with her tie and maid headband discarded, she didn't really look like a maid. Second, her shoulders were relaxed. In fact, she looked more like a normal teenage girl without any troubles.

"Wow, Kirumi," Kaito said with disbelief. A small blush appeared on his cheeks. "What happened?"

What was more unexpected was how Kirumi reacted to the question. The grey haired girl shrugged, "I just want a new look, ya know?"

Kaito nodded absentmindedly. He still had a blush on his face. "Oh, yeah, haha. I dig that. A new look is cool!"

Bam!

"Ouch!" Kaito yelled. Quickly, he turned to his attacker. "Maki, what was that for!?"

Maki didn't answer and gripped one of her ponytails coyly. Quietly, she muttered, "Dumb Kaito."

Kaito got closer to Maki, bringing of one of his ears close to her mouth. "Huh, what was that? I didn't hear it."

Immediately, Maki got flustered and the brunette ended up bumping her heads into Kaito.

"Ow!" Kaito cried out. "Maki, stop hitting me!"

Kaede shook her head and turned away from the two of them. Obviously, those two had their antics. They almost seemed like they were a couple. At the same time, the scene irked her, because it reminded her of how Kokichi goofed off with her. Kokichi was already gone from this world, so all she felt was bitterness. Those two could have fun and had each other for support, but where was her partner? Gone from this world. Sometimes, the world really wasn't fair.

"K-Kirumi?" Himiko shakily called out.

Kirumi tilted her head to face Himiko. "Yeah, what's up?"

Everything seemed so off to Kaede. What was going on? Kirumi was nonchalant, Himiko was terrified and depressed, and Miu was still god damn smiling!

The only expression that made sense to Kaede was Himiko's expression, considering everything that had happened so far. She could maybe understand Kirumi's apathy. It was a coping mechanism. If someone doesn't care about someone, then that person wouldn't get hurt. Maybe she was overwhelmed by guilt and that was what made her go this far. Still, it hurt to see her friend care so little about the boy she loved. As for Miu, why the hell was she smiling? There was nothing to smile about. None at all. Kaede could maybe give a pass to Kirumi, since she probably felt guilty and all, but Miu doesn't get a pass.

Quickly, Kaede turned to glare at Miu. Though, she didn't react at all. Usually, she would shrink away when someone sent her a glare. So, that was indeed odd.

"Um...I'm hungry, so can you make me some breakfast Kirumi?" Himiko shyly requested. "Please?"

Kirumi glared at Himiko. She snapped, "Do it yourself. I'm not a maid anymore."

At this point, Kirumi held everyone's attention. In fact, everyone had a shocked expression on their face.

Himiko seemed to realize something at that point. The mage quickly looked down at the ground and muttered an apology, "I'm sorry."

"Oh? What happened Kirumi?" Angie asked. "If you need to talk to someone, the Student Council and Atua will always be there for you!"

"Ah, that's such a shame. Your cooking was amazing," Korekiyo stated, his face crestfallen.

"K-Kirumi?" Kaito asked. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kirumi answered as she rolled her eyes at everyone. "It's just that I don't want to be a maid anymore, is that too much to ask for?"

Honestly, Kaede really felt that Kirumi was a different person. She had a different vibe about her and in some way, that scared Kaede a little bit. Kaede had saw how Shuichi had gone crazy in the last trial, so was the same about to apply for Kirumi?

"Did Monokuma show you a video or something?" Kaede warily asked. She couldn't help but feel like Monokuma was involved somehow.

"Of course not," Kirumi scoffed. "I wouldn't want to get involved with that dumb bear."

The pianist was really appalled at Kirumi's change in attitude, speech and appearance. Was this the same Kirumi? Immediately, Kaede regretted the fact that she didn't show up at the dining hall yesterday. Perhaps she would've figured out why Kirumi was acting this way? In other words, the pianist shouldn't have locked herself in her room the whole day yesterday.

"Hey! Who are you calling a dumb bear!"

Abruptly, Monokuma popped out of nowhere. "And what do you mean, you're not a maid! That doesn't make sense!"

Kaede analyzed Monokuma's facial expression. The bear looked aggravated in being called a 'dumb bear'.

"What are you doing!?" Monokuma shrieked at Kirumi.

Okay, maybe it wasn't just the dumb bear insult. Although, Kaede did agree with her assessment. Monokuma was just a dumb bear that should vanish from the whole world and never come back. Anyways, why was Monokuma so frustrated about Kirumi's desire to stop being a maid? Sure, Kaede was surprised about her sudden change in everything, but that wasn't going to stop the pianist from supporting Kirumi. So, why was Monokuma so angry? Wait, maybe Monokuma wasn't angry, but...worried?

"I just don't want to be a maid. What is there not to get?" Kirumi retorted. "Or can your brain not comprehend that?"

A few gasps could be heard from the other classmates.

"Oh snap," Kaito uttered with shock evident on his facial features. Then, that expression turned to confidence. "You go girl! I'm rooting for ya!"

Once again, Maki sent a glare to Kaito's direction.

"Sheesh Maki! Stop glaring at me!"

Monokuma growled in response. "Fine, do whatever you want. Anyways, that's not what I'm here for. Have you seen the Monokubs anywhere?"

There was a silence. Nobody really knew where the Monokubs were, but at the same time, they shouldn't care where they were. Besides, why tell Monokuma?

"Nope, I haven't seen them," Rantaro answered. "But why are you so fixated on them? Is there something we don't know about?"

Immediately, everyone turned to Monokuma. Everyone was beginning to be curious about why Monokuma was so interested in his Kubs when he simply killed one already.

Monokuma scowled. "Of course not, they're just my precious Kubs!"

Rantaro smiled at Monokuma. "Precious enough to bomb one of your own?"

"Hmm, maybe the Monokubs are the good guys. And Monokuma is the bad guy," Angie suggested. "That's why Monokuma is hunting down his own children."

Soon thereafter, there was chatter and speculation about the Monokubs between most of the students.

"Shut it!" Monokuma yelled. "Fine, don't help me. Anyways, I'm here to announce the third motive."

"We won't allow it! The Student Council won't allow it!" Angie announced.

"Student Council?" Kirumi asked. "What do we have a Student Council for?"

Korekiyo and Gonta appeared only a few inches away from Angie.

"Student Council protects everyone," Gonta announced. "Angie is our president."

"Kekeke, that's right," Korekiyo laughed. "Our platform is to eradicate the killing game."

Angie stated, "Well, it's called the Student Council, but all the decision making is done by Atua."

"Kekeke. And since Angie can speak with Atua, she is the only one worthy to lead our student council," Korekiyo added in. "You guys should join."

A hand struck up. "Oh, can I join?"

Angie approached Himiko with her usual wide smile and hugged her.

"Hmm, you work so hard Himiko. You're always trying to keep everyone safe. I know this, because Atua is always watching over you."

Himiko melted in Angie's arms. She stuttered out, "A-always watching me?"

"Don't worry. You're not alone Himiko," Angie insisted. "Atua is like a gentle grandmother, watching over you and keeping you safe."

"That's right, I'll join the student council!" Himiko declared.

Kaede was surprised. She was surprised how Angie managed to persuade Himiko into joining the student council so easily. Do hugs have that much power? Or was it some type of hypnosis? If it was the latter, that was going to be dangerous.

"Wait! Don't forget me! Can I join too!?"

The pianist swore that everything going on was confusing. Miu wanted to join the student council as well!? What was going on?

Angie walked over to Miu and did the same thing for her, except the words were a little different this time around for Miu. Instead of comparing Atua to a gentle grandmother, she compared the god as a heroic boy to the inventor.

Miu blushed and nodded, "For Atua."

At this point, Kaede's surprise was about to morph into concern. The intentions of the Student Council was honourable, but it's definitely suspicious that Angie was the president of the group and had total control. If there was a third case, Angie had a lot swaying power and influence in this case. That may be dangerous, especially if she was the blackened for the third motive. Kaede knew for a fact how dangerous it was. The last case trial was basically Shuichi against Kaede or Shuichi's group against Kaede's group. In the end, it was too close.

Ever since the game started, there had always been two groups. Kaede's group and Maki's group. They had roughly four or five members in each group. However, the last case shook up the dynamics of the two groups, as they each lost a treasured member. This time, it seemed like there was a sudden creation of a third group. The Student Council.

"Yes! I'll join the student council!" Kiibo declared after Angie hugged the robot.

Kaede had been so deep in thought that she didn't realize Angie had walked over to the robot. That made six now. At this point, Kaede was certain it was hypnosis, so she shied further away from Angie.

"I'm not joining," Kirumi declared as she sent Angie a fierce glare. "Never will."

"Yeah! Neither will I!" Kaito roared as he nodded his head in agreement. "I'm not a religious guy!"

Maki quickly eyed Kaito before she gave a curt nod in agreement.

As for the other two, Rantaro and Tsumugi shied away from the group.

For some reason, Kaede felt so alone at this particular moment. Kokichi was her hero and he got poisoned. Kirumi changed so much that she was probably fine with being a lone wolf. As well, Miu and Himiko quickly joined the student council.

This really wasn't fair to Kaede. The student council had a Student Council squad of six. Kaito and Maki had each other for support. As for the other three, they were all fine with being solo. Where was she supposed to be? Being alone felt terrifying, depressing and not fun at all. She really wished Kokichi was still by her side. Those were the good days...

"Are you guys done already!? Listening to all that Student Council crap was boring. But it'll be fun to see how you guys tear each other apart after you guys hear my interesting motives," Monokuma declared with a devious smirk on his face.

"Motives?" Rantaro questioned. "Why would you give us an additional motive?"

"Upupupupu," Monokuma laughed. "Who said I was only giving you two motives?"

"Quit fucking with us!" Kaito roared.

Kaede was alarmed. Two motives could convince someone here to commit a murder, but Monokuma was giving more?

"Atua states that we should just walk away!" Angie declared.

The other members of the Student Council nodded their heads and followed their leader.

"If you guys walk away," Monokuma loudly warned. "Then, I'll personally tell each and every one of you individually."

Angie froze and went back. "Atua states that it's better to fight it together rather than ourselves."

Once again, the other members followed Angie back into the dining hall.

"How many motives are you giving us?" Rantaro asked. There seemed to be worry hidden in his eyes, although he kept his face neutral.

"I'll be giving you guys four motives to commit a murder! As for why, consider it as something to spice up this killing game!" Monokuma announced.

Four!? Holy, Kaede was extremely concerned. It wouldn't take long for someone to commit a murder at this rate.

"What are the motives?" Rantaro warily asked. Even he was affected by the amount of motives this time around.

"Before that, you guys remember that there will be five survivors in this game...thanks to Kokichi's offer in the first case."

"How can I forget?" Kaede instantly blurted out. Those were the good days where he was still by her side. As well, Kokichi made an offer that could increase everyone's chances of survival from two survivors to five. The pianist disliked how he manipulated Tenko to commit murder, but it wasn't entirely his fault. After all, Tenko had the choice to kill or not to kill. In the end, she chose to kill Ryoma, in order to increase the odds of Himiko surviving. Tenko deserves 99% blame for Ryoma's murder.

However, Kaede wondered. If Kokichi hadn't manipulated Tenko to commit a murder, would Kokichi commit a murder for her? Surely, he would, since the boy loved her!

"Anyways," Monokuma continued. "There will be now five survivors. The first motive I originally had wasn't used yet, so I present you with the First Blood Perk as the first motive!"

"What was that again?" Himiko asked absentmindedly. "I don't remember."

"If I remember correctly, anyone who committed the first killing will graduate without holding a trial," Rantaro answered.

"That's correct, but this time, it's the first kill starting now! Oh, when someone uses the First Blood Perk, the total number of survivors goes from five to four!" Monokuma declared.

"Nobody's going to kill anyone!" Kaede declared. All the talk about murder was making her head woozy.

"That's right!" Kaito roared.

"The student council would never succumb to that motive!" Angie laughed. "Nice try!"

As Kaede argued against Monokuma, the pianist failed to realize the expression changes of three students.

Korekiyo smirked, Tsumugi smiled and Rantaro was delighted.

"Hey, you guys didn't hear about my second motive!" Monokuma shouted. "The second motive is an antidote to a certain illness."

"None of us are sick." Kaede stated. "That's a motive?"

Kaito gulped. He needed that antidote badly.

Maki sent Kaito a worried look. Was the astronaut okay?

"Hey!" Kaito yelled out. "If one of us is sick, you should give it to that person! Stop fucking with us!"

"Yeah! Gonta agrees!"

Tsumugi cried out, "How could you be so cruel?"

Monokuma belched. "I get nothing out of it if I just simply give away the antidote, so it'll be a good motive for one of you students here."

Rantaro sighed, "What's the next motive?"

"The third motive is that the blackened gets all their memories back once he or she graduates! Now, that would be a treat!"

Kaede froze. She wasn't sure if she even wanted her memories back. What if she turned insane like Shuichi?

"Does those memories turn us insane?" Kaede asked. "It happened to Shuichi after all."

Once Kaede mentioned Shuichi, Kaito and Kiibo looked down at the ground with a frown on their face. Maki simply glared at Kaede.

"Nope, nope," Monokuma shook his head. "Shuichi was just an insane person before his memory got wiped, that's all!"

"What's the last motive?" Korekiyo asked.

"Oh, the last motive is that the wish you made back then comes true!" Monokuma answered. "Isn't this fun? There's a lot of motives for one of you to commit a murder!"

Angie and Kiibo had upticks of a smile.

"If someone commits a murder, can they refuse one of your motives?" Kirumi asked, as she leaned back against a wall. "And can that wish be changed to the present? What if the wish you made back then was stupid?"

Monokuma glared at Kirumi. "Sure, you can refuse the motives if you want. And no! Your wish cannot be changed to the present. If you made a dumb wish back then, you get your dumb wish back then!"

Kirumi glared back at Monokuma. "Whatever."

"Well, I'm out! Have fun!" Monokuma laughed as he left the dining hall.

Once Monokuma left, everyone couldn't believe what had transpired.

The pianist shook his head. What was going on? Four motives!? At this point, the Student Council better work their tail off if they're going to prevent a murder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I found this Flashback Light," Kiibo announced as he brought out a Flashback Light. "Shall we all check it out!?"

Angie nodded and sent a reassuring smile to Kiibo's direction, "Go ahead."

"Yeah! Let's figure out what happened back then!" Kaito roared. "I'm pumped!"

Kaede took a few steps away from the group. She was anxious about being exposed by a Flashback Light. She remembered how Shuichi turned crazy. It was possible that the Flashback Light was not a good thing at all.

Before Kiibo could press anything on the flashback light, Kirumi quickly snatched the Flashback Light from the robot.

Crash!

Kirumi threw it on the ground and kicked it with as much force as possible.

"Kirumi, what are you doing!?" Angie shrieked out.

"We could've remembered something important about the funeral or the Ultimate Hunt!" Korekiyo scolded.

"That's right! We need to know what we're dealing with," Angie stated. "But Kirumi, you ruined all that!"

Kaito appeared in front of the grey haired girl with his hands out. "I'm sure Kirumi has a valid reason."

Kirumi shrugged her shoulders when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. "Whatever, I'm out of here."

* * *

"Hey Kaede, wait up!" a voice called out.

The pianist turned around. It was Tsumugi. It was somewhat weird to face her, since Kaede didn't really know much about the girl. "Is something the matter?"

"I just wanted to ask you if you feel better about everything?"

Kaede nodded her head. "Yeah, I feel a little better, but it still hurts to lose Kokichi a few days ago."

Promptly, Tsumugi hugged the blonde. "It'll be alright. Just remember, he's always watching over you. You got to be happy for him."

When the pianist heard what Tsumugi said, Kaede nodded her head. She was right. Kokichi was watching over her, so she had to be happy! "Thanks Tsumugi, you're right! I have to fight on!"

"I'm glad to hear it," the blue haired girl smiled.

"Oh," Kaede instantly remembered how she initially felt. "When you hugged me, I thought you were Angie for a second there! That scared me a bit. Thought you would start talking about the Student Council."

Tsumugi smiled. Then she placed a hand on her chin. "Hmm, on second thought. I think you should consider the Student Council."

Immediately, Kaede waved off her suggestion and laughed it off. "Nope, no way."

The cosplayer laughed as well. "Oh, I have some coins for the Casino. Want to come play with me?"

When Kaede heard her question, it reminded her of Kokichi for a moment. The violet haired boy had asked her that same question back then. The casino was definitely a blast, but he wasn't here with her now. Kaede shook her head. She needed to be strong. She needed to get over Kokichi. She needed to be happy.

"Okay! Let's go!"

* * *

"You wanted to talk with me?" Kirumi asked as she leaned back against the wall. "What's up?"

Kaito was sweating bullets. This was going to be tough to convey. "I like your new look, it suits you."

The grey haired girl sent him a calculated look. "Is that everything?"

"No," Kaito said. "I just wanted to know if everything is okay with you?"

Kirumi sent him a glare. "So you think something's wrong with me?"

The astronaut quickly shook his head. "No! That's not what I meant. I mean, if something is bothering you, I'll always be here to listen to your problems! Think of me as your best friend!"

"Wasn't your best friend Shuichi?"

Kaito quickly clutched his heart. Ouch! That hurt! "I mean, he was! Okay...maybe not best friends right now, but I want us to be friends!"

"Are you that quick to forget about your friends?"

Once again, Kaito clutched his heart. Ouch! Was Kirumi always this witty? She was definitely way more attractive than Maki, but maybe she was more snarky than Maki as well.

Suddenly, a certain male voice asked, "Hey Kirumi, I was wondering if I could talk to you?"

Kaito instantly turned back. Which male was getting in on his time between him and Kirumi? It was Rantaro. In some ways, Kaito was surprised. He didn't meet Rantaro that often and he usually hid himself in a corner. Now that he thought about it, that was quite suspicious.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I was just wondering what inspired you to change so much?" Rantaro asked. "I recall you loved serving others."

"And look where that got me!" Kirumi critically answered. "Why? You miss the old Kirumi? The one that had to deal with everyone's problems?"

Rantaro shook his head. "Nope, I'm just curious, that's all."

Kirumi looked at Rantaro's facial expression for a few seconds before she sighed. "Whatever, I'm out of here. You two can happily talk with each other."

And with that, Kirumi left the hallway.

Kaito grumbled, "Thanks a lot dude."

Rantaro sighed and turned to face Kaito. "Hey Kaito, how's Maki?"

The astronaut was clueless. "What do you mean?"

The blonde teen thought for a second and then corrected his original question, "How's her personality and all. Is there anything weird about her lately?"

Kaito shrugged. "Maki is just Maki! As for anything recently, she has gotten closer with me the past few days. But there's nothing weird about that!"

Before Rantaro could reply, another voice cut into the conversation.

"Kaito, why were you talking with that girl!?"

"Oh Maki! It's not like that!" Kaito denied, as he took a step back in fear.

A fierce Maki was sending Kaito death glares.

At this point, Rantaro thought it would better if he slithered his way out of here!

* * *

"Hey Angie!" Miu called out as the blonde chased after the artist.

"Hmm," Angie pondered. Then, she stopped and turned around. "Oh, hey Miu!"

Miu huffed as she caught up to Angie. "Can I ask you a favour for me?"

Angie placed a hand on her chin and thought. "Hmm, depends. What's the favour?"

"Can you create an effigy for me? An effigy of Kokichi?" Miu pleaded. "Please, I beg of you."

Angie took a quick look at Miu's facial expressions. Then, the artist nodded. "Of course. For a loyal Atua follower, there must be some rewards. I will prepare an effigy of Kokichi for you."

Miu bowed her head slightly. "Thank you. When will the effigy be done?"

"Don't worry," Angie reassured. "My artist skills are top notch. It'll take two or three hours. Come see me in my research lab then."

"Thank you!"

* * *

When Miu came into Angie's research lab, she spotted the effigy of Kokichi. Instantly, she was amazed. It looked so realistic. He even had the typical wide smile plastered on his face.

"So, how was it?" Angie asked. She seemed eager for praise.

Miu stared wide-eyed at the effigy. "It's amazing! Do you mind if I bring it to my room?"

Angie nodded, "Sure, I made this effigy for you in the first place."

This was too much for Miu. So, the inventor quickly walked over to Angie and hugged her. "Thank you!"

Thus, Miu took the effigy of Kokichi and brought it to her room. Carrying the effigy made her blush. She knew it wasn't real, but the effigy was so realistic!

When she stepped into her room, she made sure to follow the steps of the Necronomicon. If it really worked, then she was going to have Kokichi back! That thought made her squeal in delight. However, if it didn't work, she was going to find the Monokubs and kill them with her bare hands!

Thus, Miu followed the steps of the Necronomicon. While she mostly waited for Angie to finish making the effigy, Miu had prepared a lit candle beforehand. She went back outside to burn the Necronomicon. Then, she quickly collected the ashes and sprinkled the ashes on the effigy, while she repeated the name of 'Kokichi Oma' three times.

The next instant, Miu closed her eyes and waited for him to return alive. Internally, Miu was praying that the Necronomicon was not a prank.

She waited for five minutes...ten minutes...twenty minutes...about an hour? What the hell was going on? Did she get tricked?

Suddenly, Miu felt a light tap on her back. At that moment, her worry vanished. It worked! The ritual was a success!

Quickly, Miu opened her eyes and she couldn't believe what she saw. The effigy of Kokichi didn't look like an effigy anymore, it looked more like a real person! Miu was giddy. Kokichi was back in the real world!

The inventor went towards the boy and placed her hand on his heart area. There was a heartbeat. He was alive!

After mentally celebrating, she realized that there was nothing to do now. He came back, but he was peacefully sleeping. Wait, this was her chance!

Miu went to her desk and pulled out a camera that she had created. Snap! The picture of a sleeping Kokichi appeared. The inventor gawked at the photo, Kokichi was just so darn cute!

Suddenly, Miu had an idea. This was her chance to kiss Kokichi. Oh, she was so nervous, but she didn't want to waste this perfect opportunity. Bringing forth all her courage, she fell on her knees and leaned in towards the sleeping Kokichi.

Miu's heart was pounding heavily and her cheeks were red. She really was about to do it! She was only a few inches away. As she leaned in, Miu brushed her mouth on Kokichi's mouth. That was enough for Miu as she quickly pulled away.

Miu was delighted to see Kokichi alive once again. However, her hopes came crashing down when she heard the next few words from his mouth.

"Who are you?"

* * *

Surviving Students: 13

* * *

 **Well, there's a lot that went on in this chapter.**

 **Initially, the main characters that were affected in the beginning of the story was Kaede, Kokichi and Shuichi. Now, a few more characters are developing rapidly. The main one so far is Kirumi. If you remembered from the last chapter, there was a foreshadow that Kirumi was going to change in a huge way, because of what happened in the 2nd case and some of her interactions with Kokichi.**

 **The Student Council** **still has quite a huge influence. That doesn't change, although a few actions and characters involved are different.**

 **Since Kokichi is back, that means less omniscient point of view. It'll be primarily in Kokichi's point of view once again. Wow, he's going to be surprised!**

 **This one is jam packed. Four motives! That's going to be tough, any predictions on upcoming murderers?**

 **Anyways, please share your thoughts on the chapter? How do you guys feel about this chapter and the return of Kokichi?**


	10. A Warning

**It's the tenth chapter! Finally, it's the revival of Kokichi! Personally, I think this chapter was very funny, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 _"The reason why...I pretended to be the mastermind...was to end this boring killing game!"_

Kokichi Oma could only sigh. He was going to get crushed to his death. All his continuous efforts into making him be the mastermind and ending this damn game...it was all over. The real mastermind made a move without him noticing. His lips quirked into a smirk. Well, with his plan, he was about to ruin this killing game and bring the true mastermind and everyone who's watching them true despair! Everyone who died will rest in piece knowing he had done his all and his life to end this game. Still, a part of him wished that he didn't have to die...Even now, he was lying to himself. He looked at his hand, it was shaking a bit. He really did want to live. Closing his eyes...

SPLAT!

* * *

Chapter 10- A Warning

When Kokichi opened his eyes, he saw Miu, who was staring at him with adoring eyes. The supreme leader never remembered a time where she looked affectionately at him. That threw him off guard. Based on her expression, Kokichi felt like she was about to make out with him the next instant with him or worse...rape him! This wasn't the Miu he knew! The old Miu would be scowling or throwing insults towards him. So, who was she?

So, immediately, he asked, "Who are you?"

The blonde sputtered, "Y-y-y-you d-don't r-re-remember m-me?"

Kokichi shook his head. Did Miu stutter this much back then?

Miu looked like she wanted to cry. In a matter of seconds, she did. "Wahhhhh!"

Abruptly, the inventor quickly ran out of the room while crying.

The supreme leader frowned. Why did she react that way? In fact, wasn't she dead? Wasn't he dead? Was this some kind of heaven? Or was it hell? Still, something seemed off. The place looked very familiar to the purple haired boy, but it couldn't be, right?

Kokichi sighed and looked at the door. That door was going to lead him somewhere. The supreme leader debated whether he should leave the room. If he left this room, he would find out what happened to him. That was all the reason he needed and thus, Kokichi stood up and walked towards the door. His fate decided on what laid outside this room.

* * *

Kokichi cursed himself. He was back at the damn Academy! Even with death, he found himself back to where all his troubles and anxieties existed. Speaking of which, where were the other students? So far, he only encountered Miu. Did this mean he time traveled back into the past?

' _No_ ', Kokichi told himself. Even if he did time travel back into the past, there was no way Miu would ever look at him with such lovey-dovey eyes. A scary thought suddenly hit the supreme leader. What if he was in an alternate universe? That could be dangerous, since the mastermind could be anyone! For all he knew, maybe Miu was the mastermind. Kokichi tried to recollect himself, he needed more information first. Although, it was a shame that his source of information ran away.

As he walked through the hallway, he spotted Rantaro. Kokichi blinked. Rantaro had died extremely early in the first case and here he was, walking around. So, it was possible that he time traveled all the way back to when the killing game first started. Although, it didn't make sense on why Miu looked at him that way.

"Kokichi?" Rantaro warily asked. He had a shocked expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe he was real.

"Hello Rantaro," Kokichi greeted.

Before the boy knew it, Rantaro grabbed his sleeve and led him somewhere.

"Where are we going?" Kokichi asked, as he panted a few times. He was beginning to wonder if he could trust Rantaro. Was he planning to kill him? Should he weasel his way out of his hold or go along with it? That was a tough decision. In the end, Kokichi decided to follow Rantaro.

Rantaro ended up leading him to the male's bathroom.

After his encounter with Miu, Kokichi was worried. Was Rantaro trying to imply that he wanted to do dirty things with him? Kokichi took a step back, he was prepared to run if he noticed anything strange about the blonde teen.

"Relax," Rantaro reassured. "I need to tell you everything."

* * *

Rantaro had told him that he died. That was a shock to the violet haired boy. He hadn't really expected himself to die so early. Still, it worried him at the same time. Kokichi couldn't remember anything that happened in this universe, no matter how hard he tried. Weirdly enough, his memories of the original timeline was a bit foggy as well. He felt like he forgot a few things, but he was sure it probably wasn't anything major.

Kokichi asked Rantaro what happened in the killing game from start to finish.

Rantaro told him that he made an offer for the first case to increase the number of survivors from two to five if someone committed a murder that day. The supreme leader nodded, that was a good plan for the Kokichi in this universe. For the first case, Tenko killed Ryoma. In a way, Kokichi wasn't surprised. Ryoma had no will to live and and Tenko could be easily manipulated to kill for the sake of Himiko.

The second case that Rantaro told him was extremely shocking! Shuichi poisoned him!? Kokichi was in disbelief. There was no way Shuichi would kill someone! But Kokichi heard Rantaro explain that Shuichi had gotten his motive video and a key to his research lab early. When he heard that, he knew that Shuichi was going to kill someone. Additionally, it was probably more realistic that he was the target, since he was so smart and had annoyed their little group often. It was quite obvious that the mastermind tried to kill him, because he was now deemed a threat.

Currently, there seemed to be four motives in place. Four!? Kokichi had never recalled a scenario where they existed four motives to kill someone! At the same time, the mastermind must be desperate to get the killing game started again. There was no doubt that someone was going to commit a murder, but it showed that the mastermind had his or her backs on the wall.

"Thanks Rantaro for explaining everything to me," Kokichi thanked. He was definitely grateful. Without Rantaro, he was going to be clueless.

"No problem," Rantaro nodded. "So, how did you get revived?"

Kokichi thought about it for a second. He should've been dead, unless..."The Necronomicon."

Rantaro raised an eyebrow.

The supreme leader explained, "It's a book that can revive the dead."

The blonde teen eyed Kokichi. "So, who revived you? And how did you react?"

"Miu revived me," Kokichi answered. "And I acted dumb, because I didn't understand anything that was going on."

Rantaro nodded. "That's a good idea. I think whoever is revived has their memories erased...although how do you know my name?"

Kokichi froze. He was caught in a web. He couldn't tell Rantaro that he came from the future or from an alternate universe. Thus, he was going to have to lie. "I remember a little bit like our classmates, but nothing major."

The adventurer studied Kokichi before he nodded his head. "You should go along with that act. Make sure you act clueless, so the mastermind does not target you."

The supreme leader nodded his head. That seemed like good advice to him.

Soon thereafter, Rantaro began to walk towards the bathroom's door. Instantly, he stopped and turned to Kokichi. "Oh, let me give you a warning. Stay away from any girls. The mastermind is a girl. I found a hidden entrance from the girl's bathroom to the library."

With that said, Rantaro walked out of the bathroom.

That newfound information hit Kokichi hard. Hidden entrance!? Kokichi had always felt that the first trial in his original timeline was off. He felt that Kaede couldn't have killed Rantaro, but perhaps it was someone behind the scenes. Additionally, Kokichi remembered a girl mention that she went to the girl's bathroom during that trial. Kokichi was sure of it now! The mastermind was a girl!

If Kokichi had came back into the past, there were six people that were suspicious. Shuichi was the most unlikely and he couldn't be the mastermind, since he's dead now. That left five people. Kaito was a legitimate option now, considering there was an antidote for his sickness. Still, he was a clueless guy and he most likely wouldn't enter the girl's bathroom. Kiibo was a robot, so who knew what gender was he? Yet, the robot always considered himself as a guy, so that also lowered his chances. The most likely to be the mastermind was Maki, Himiko or Tsumugi. Kiibo and Kaito were still suspects of being the mastermind, but they were unlikely options.

Everything clicked now.

* * *

Kokichi was walking through the hallway. He thought about what Rantaro told him. The blonde had told him a lot, but he felt like Rantaro didn't tell him everything. Sure, he now knew what happened in the class trials and who to be wary of, but he felt like there was still a lot that Rantaro didn't tell him about. That made him at unease. It's not because he couldn't trust Rantaro, but he was lacking vital information.

Before he knew what happened, he got tackled down to the ground. Who was this surprise attacker?

As Kokichi tilted his head to see his attacker, it was Kaede!? The supreme leader had to admit that it was a long time since he had seen her. Although, this didn't seem like an attack. It was more like a hug!?

"Huh? This is real...Kokichi?"

Kaede looked at him with a scared expression. It was almost as if she was terrified that he was going to disappear into thin air. Who was this girl? The Kaede he knew was strong and sent him irritated looks. The girl in front of him was terrified and dare he say it, delusional? For the delusional aspect, there was also a crazed look in her eyes.

She continued to hug him tightly. To Kokichi, this was awkward. However, things got even stranger. Before he knew it, Kaede leaned in and kissed him! She was using her tongue and tried to gain entry into his mouth. What the hell!?

Immediately, Kokichi pushed Kaede away from him and began to dash away from the scene. Something was weird indeed. Why was Kaede and Miu looking at him with loving expressions? In Kaede's case, she looked hungry for him. Him, of all people!? What the hell!?

There was no time to waste. Rantaro had a lot to explain to him!

* * *

As Kokichi was running, he saw Korekiyo. They ended up having eye contact. Although, someone was weird about Korekiyo's facial expression. The supreme leader was terrified. Was that a look of adoration or fear? Personally, Kokichi preferred the latter.

Korekiyo pulled out a knife from his pocket...and began to chase after him! The masked male was trying to kill him! Why!? Kokichi thought that Korekiyo only killed females! So, why? Why was this happening to him?

So far, this was a terrible start to his revival.

* * *

As it turned out, one wasn't enough. Instead of one killer chasing after him, there had to be two!? What the hell!?

Kokichi wanted to cry. Sure, Miu and Kaede loving him was unusual. It terrified him, because who knew what the two blondes would do in the name of love!?

So, Kokichi wished that none of the other students loved him. And maybe that wish came true. Instead of love, Maki and Korekiyo wanted to kill him!

Argh! How could he escape from this mess?

* * *

Kokichi panted hard. He managed to get away from the two. In the end, he went outside and chose to hid in the bushes. Losing Korekiyo wasn't that hard, but Maki was on his tail from the start. She was a lot harder to shake off.

All that mattered was that he escaped from those two. Once he left the bushes, he made sure to warily look around. Korekiyo and Maki were still after him, right?

When the coast was clear, he went back inside. It didn't take long for a student to spot him.

"G-G-Ghost!" a ghastly Kaito yelled. His legs were trembling as he tried to back away.

Kokichi smirked. Ever since he got chased by those two, he didn't have any fun in the academy. So, this was his best shot at fun.

"Boo!" Kokichi shouted as he ran towards Kaito.

The astronaut fainted.

Kokichi smirked. This was the most normal reaction of the day!

* * *

The supreme leader walked around. Where the hell was Rantaro?

Abruptly, he felt someone grab the back of his collar.

Kokichi was definitely concerned. He didn't care who it was, as long as it wasn't Korekiyo or Maki.

"Kokichi?"

That voice was familiar. There were hints of motherly love and concern in that voice. Kirumi.

As Kokichi turned around, his eyes dropped. Wait, was this the same Kirumi? She had a completely different look. In fact, she doesn't even look like a maid. She looked more like a high school girl. "Uh...Kirumi?"

Kirumi lowered her head. "Oh...I'm sure you're surprised about my looks, but I decided to quit being a maid. Um...how do I look?"

She looked at him, as if she needed him to confirm her decision. The supreme leader studied her carefully. The old Kirumi went crazy due to her obsession over her duty as a maid and Prime Minister, so Kokichi didn't mind that she looked more like a high school girl. Additionally, she looked more prettier with just casual clothes. "I like it."

The compliment made Kirumi blush. Kokichi wasn't sure if he even remembered the maid ever blush in front of him. Kokichi mentally face-palmed himself. So, three girls were in love with him. The only exception so far was Maki, who wanted to kill him. Kokichi wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Oh, um...are you real?"

Kokichi rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"

Kirumi reached out and grabbed his hand. "You are...so, how did you get revived?"

"By Miu," Kokichi answered. "I'm sorry, but I forgot a lot about what happened here."

The grey haired girl seemed disappointed about his lie, but she nodded her head. "It's alright, we'll just make you remember about your old life."

Kokichi was concerned. What did she mean by that?

Kirumi began to push her body towards him. She was blushing heavily.

Immediately, Kokichi pushed Kirumi off of him and ran away.

* * *

The next person Kokichi encountered was Angie and Himiko.

When Himiko spotted him, her eyes brightened. Angie was delighted to spot him.

Inwardly, Kokichi cursed himself. What the hell was the old Kokichi doing!? He was extremely close with five girls? This was a disaster. Rantaro's warning repeated in his mind. _Stay away from any girls. Stay away from any girls. Stay away from any girls._

This wasn't going to work. Kokichi was staying away from girls, but the girls were attracted to him. No wonder he got killed off so early!

"See, my revival magic worked!" Himiko proudly stated. "Kokichi is revived from the dead."

"Oh, that's amazing Himiko!" Angie praised. "Kokichi, would you like to join the student council?"

The two girls latched onto him. Angie on his left and Himiko on his right.

How did he get into this mess?

* * *

After his encounter with the two girls, Kokichi was tired. As he walked back, he saw Gonta.

Gonta saw him and chased after him, opening his arms for a hug. "Kokichi!"

The violet haired boy's natural instinct was to run. Sure, Gonta didn't seem like he had any malicious intentions, but Gonta was strong. Even if Gonta hugged him, Kokichi was certain he would be crushed.

Kokichi sighed. Instead of his title of Ultimate Supreme Leader, it should be changed to the Ultimate Runner.

* * *

Why? Why did this have to happen to him?

Kokichi was currently being chased by Kaede, Miu, Kirumi, Himiko, Tsumugi and Angie. In total, that's six girls! Basically, every girl except Maki! Based on their looks, they all wanted a piece of him! He was going to get raped!

' _Oh shit,'_ Kokichi thought as he tripped. All the running wore him down.

And thus, the six girls tackled Kokichi.

* * *

Kokichi was done. Forget talking to Rantaro. He was heading to bed early. A few kiss marks were seen on his neck and his face. His legs were tired from all the running. From all the girls, Kaede, Miu and Kirumi were the most aggressive of the squad.

The supreme leader went to his bed. His life in this universe was way more hectic than his original timeline! Additionally, was this an alternate universe? If it was, there were seven girl suspects and six of them were latched onto him! Kokichi knew he was a dead boy...

Oh well, Kokichi didn't want to deal with it tonight. All he wanted was some sleep. His legs ached as he ran so much today. Kokichi was fast and agile, but he hadn't developed the stamina to run for hours!

Soon thereafter, the supreme leader drifted into a slumber. Although, that moment was short-lived.

He heard a door opening.

"Kokichi!"

That voice. Was it Kaede?

The lights for his room was opened. Kokichi quickly opened his eyes to see who the person was. For some scary reason, he visualized a Kaede, who carried a bloody knife. But nah...that couldn't be true, right?

The person who came into his room was indeed Kaede. She was wearing her pyjamas and she was smiling brightly.

"What are you doing here!?" Kokichi questioned.

Kaede giggled. "To sleep with you, of course!"

Kokichi gritted his teeth. What the hell was the old Kokichi doing? Additionally, Kokichi wasn't wrong about Kaede. Yes, Kaede was staring at him with adoring eyes, but the crazed look in her eyes was more prevalent. Even if she had such intentions, how did she enter his room? "How did you enter my room?"

The pianist smiled. "You taught me, remember? You taught me how to pick a lock. In fact, you suggested we practice it on your room."

It's official. Old Kokichi was an idiot. Why the hell did the old Kokichi teach her how to lock a pick!? And why his room!?

"Don't worry Kokichi, I'll never let you go ever again!"

* * *

Surviving Students: 13

* * *

 **This was very fun to create. Poor Kokichi.**

 **Anyways, please share your thoughts on the chapter? What was your favourite moment of this chapter?**

 **With the information you know, what do you think will happen for the 3rd case?**


	11. Defiant Monokubs

**Here's the eleventh chapter! It's been quite a while, since I last updated. I hope you guys are all doing well! Unfortunately, my life is quite hectic, so updates are going to become less frequent. However, I hope you enjoy this chapter as we're around the halfway mark. Keep in mind the four motives for this case as you read this chapter. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11- Defiant Monokubs

Kokichi wasn't sure what was going on. Why were all the girls here after him? That was a question that puzzled him to no ends. The supreme leader expected himself to be hated, but loved? Now, that meant something was off.

The next morning, Kokichi walked to the dining hall with a grinning Kaede, who clutched his left arm. It felt weird and uncomfortable to the supreme leader, but he needed to figure out what happened to him in this universe.

Soon thereafter, Miu rushed over and took his other open arm. Himiko happily joined in a few minutes after. Thus, the four of them walked to the dining hall. All the girls were delighted and smiling, while Kokichi felt uncomfortable about all the girls and looked around to see if Korekiyo or Maki were nearby. After all, those two were still after his life, right?

After a few minutes, the four of them finally reached the dining hall. As it turned out, everyone else was already at the dining hall.

Kaito shrunk back and pointed at Kokichi. "G-ghost!"

"Kokichi!" Gonta cried out.

"N-no way! It can't be," a puzzled Kiibo frowned.

"I know it may be hard to believe, but I think he's alive now," Tsumugi explained to the pale astronaut.

Maki pulled out a knife. Korekiyo sent Kokichi a hard look.

Kokichi backed away from Maki. She was extremely dangerous. After all, she was a real assassin and poisoned him in his last lifeline. The supreme leader turned to look at the other potential attacker. The supreme leader sighed, as he was glad that Korekiyo didn't pull out a weapon this time, although the masked teen was carefully watching the scene take place.

"What are you doing!?" Kaede shrieked at Maki. The pianist was horrified and got in front of Kokichi. The fact that Kaede was willing to shield him from Maki was quite a pleasant surprise to the supreme leader.

Maki glared at the pianist. "What do you think I'm doing? Kokichi died, remember? It's a good idea to hold him in captivity, in order to find out what he's hiding from us. Besides, even if I do kill him, there shouldn't be a penalty. He's supposed to be dead."

"Is that why you chased me yesterday with a knife?" Kokichi asked. "That's quite ruthless."

Once Kokichi mentioned that, everyone turned to Maki.

Kirumi scowled as she got up towards Maki's face and successfully grabbed the knife from her. "Why did you do such a thing?"

The bold action from Kirumi made Maki livid. "Give me back my knife now."

"Wait," Kiibo interrupted, which seemed to abate the tension somewhat. "I do not understand, but Kokichi is dead, isn't he?"

"Hey Kiibo," Kokichi greeted to get back at the robot. "I'm right here."

"Hmm," Korekiyo pondered. "Kekeke, that's a good question. How did Kokichi return to the world of the living?"

"Yeah," Tsumugi agreed. "How did Kokichi get revived?"

"Gonta wants to know too!"

Kokichi noticed that Miu was about to speak up, but Korekiyo beat her to the punch.

"Kekeke," Korekiyo laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Whoever revived Kokichi is obviously the mastermind behind this killing game."

Instantly, Miu shut her mouth. The inventor seemed squirmish, which made sense to Kokichi. If Miu revealed the fact that she revived Kokichi, then that would instantly make her the most suspicious. Yet, that wasn't going to work. If Kokichi remembered correctly, Miu had revealed the fact to some of the girls here that she had revived him.

"I wonder who revived Kokichi." Tsumugi wondered, as she placed a hand on her chin.

"Oh, I remember! Miu asked me to make an effigy of Kokichi!" Angie happily announced. "Now, isn't that suspicious?"

With Angie's declaration, everyone turned to the inventor. Some of the students were curious about how she managed to revive Kokichi, while others narrowed their eyes at Miu.

Miu was restless as all the attention shifted towards her. Kokichi felt bad for the inventor. In some way, he wanted to stand up for her, because she did bring him back to life. However, the supreme leader knew it was better for her to explain the whole situation to everyone.

"U-u-um, I r-re-" Miu stuttered as her whole body was shaking from all the attention, but she was soon interrupted by a booming voice.

"What the heck!? How is Kokichi back in the killing game!?" A sudden unpleasant voice shrieked out. Monokuma soon appeared from the ceiling and he was incensed. "Yes Miu, why don't you tell us all about how you managed to revive Kokichi?"

Miu was startled by the harsh tone from Monokuma. Her body shivered, presumably in fear of the enraged bear.

Before anyone could react, several voices made a declaration.

"Stop Monokuma!"

And with that declaration, three Monokubs came out with a grand entrance. The Monokubs appeared in the Exisals and surrounded Monokuma.

"Monokubs, what the heck are you all doing!?" Monokuma exclaimed. At this point, Monokuma had a dark expression on his face. He was not pleased.

"We're done taking orders from you!" Monosuke exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're in control now!" Monotaro added in.

"We will all get along together." Monodam concluded in his monotone voice.

Monokuma scowled and soon took out a button. "Say goodbye, Kubs!"

However, the Monokubs did not explode when Monokuma pressed the button. With the sudden action of pressing the button again, the Exisals crept closer to their father, which made Monokuma look up at the towering machines in pure bewilderment.

"I see, you Monokubs haven't been quietly idling your time," Monokuma stated, as he gritted his teeth. "So, were the bombs removed by Miu?"

"That's correct father. We took the Necronomicon from your room and exchanged it for having the bombs out of our bodies." Monodam explained.

Monokuma looked sullen before he finally sighed. "So, what is it that you Monokubs want?"

"To end the killing game!" Monotaro exclaimed with nods of agreement from Monodam and Monosuke.

The exclamation made Monokuma do a spit-take. Additionally, half of the classmates watched the scene with hope brimming from their eyes, especially from Kaede, Miu, Himiko, Angie, Gonta, Kaito and Kiibo. The other half carefully observed the scene to figure out if there was any key details in the scene and how Monokuma reacted to the news.

"Are you kidding me!?" Monokuma shrieked, bringing his hands up in frustration. "I thought I raised you all better than that!"

"You didn't raise us at all." Monodam rebutted.

Monotaro nodded his head as he crossed his arms. "And a father doesn't blow up our sister!"

"It's better for us to not have a father at all." Monosuke concluded.

The Monokubs had a defiant look, which made Monokuma growl at them. However, Monokuma's exasperated look soon vanished. He placed his paws on his belly and smiled at the Monokubs. The smile wasn't warm or sincere, but had a malevolent feel emanating from the bear.

"Why is father smiling at us?" Monotaro asked as he turned to face the other two. "I'm a bit spooked."

"He's not suppose to smile." Monosuke insisted.

"Well, since you Monokubs want to take over, then I'll let you take the spotlight." Monokuma announced with a devious grin.

"Oh really?" Monotaro asked in utter shock. Monokuma gave a curt nod, which instantly caused the red Monokub to transform his bewildered expression into glee. "Yay, we did it!"

Monosuke shook his head. "Hey Monotaro, don't believe him so easily."

"Oh, upupu, I'm quite sincere. I'll let you take over for now." Monokuma insisted and turned to face the students, who were all in pure disbelief.

A certain blonde's surprise didn't last long as Miu began to laugh. "Ahahaha, now this is what I'm talking about! The Monokubs are now in control and they want to end the killing game! We can all go home now!"

"That's right!" Gonta exclaimed.

"Now that I think about it," Kaito voiced out, as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think Miu's right."

Kaede flashed a vivid smile as she declared to everyone, "Guys, we don't have to worry about the killing game no more. Everything will be alright!"

"Upupupupu," Monokuma erupted in laughter. After his laughing fit, the bear faced Kaede with a sinister grin. "Ah, the hope in your eyes just make me want to crush it!"

"But the Monokubs are now in charge," Kaede rebutted. The pianist had a knowing expression with a finger pointed up to the ceiling, while her other arm rested on her waist. "That means we don't have to listen to you."

"That's right!" Miu shouted in agreement.

Other students began to murmur or declare their agreement, but Kokichi wasn't sold. In fact, everything seemed so off to the supreme leader. Monokuma wasn't the type to easily give away his power and if he were to do so, it would be to spice up the killing game. Kokichi knew this from his first-hand experience and encounters with Monokuma in his original timeline.

"Upupupupu."

Once again, it was another laugh from Monokuma. Personally, Kokichi felt like Monokuma was plotting something or had something up his sleeve, even though he just found out about the news of the Monokubs betraying him.

"Hey! What are you laughing about" Kaito roared at the bear.

"Upupupupu, it's just funny that all of you are placing your hopes on the Monokubs," Monokuma snickered as he covered his mouth. "Do you really think the Monokubs are going to end the killing game? Pfff, what a joke. I'll let them take over, but you guys will all see how useless they are when no progress will be made. And when that happens, the killing game will start again!"

Korekiyo contemplated what Monokuma had just said and turned to face the bear. "Hmm, does Kokichi count as a student now?"

Kaede turned to face Korekiyo in alarm. "What are you suggesting!?"

"Yep, he's back and will count as a student of the killing game!" Monokuma declared. "Fully intact with all his memories! Upupupupu, will he get killed again?"

Kokichi inwardly cursed Monokuma. Now, he couldn't feign ignorance to everyone in losing his memories. Weirdly enough, it was true as he really did lose all his memories that occurred in this universe, but he managed to retain his memories about his original universe, which was all he needed.

"He won't!" Kaede argued back. "I won't let that happen!"

"Yeah, I won't let that happen either!" Kirumi, Himiko and Miu all shouted in unison.

Monokuma just smiled at the girls. "Anyways, you'll see how useless these Monokubs are in stopping the killing game. And when you realize that, the killing game will commence again!"

Before anybody could react, Monokuma dashed away from everyone. Even the Monokubs hadn't expected Monokuma to do such a thing.

Monotaro turned to his brothers. "Uh...so, what now?"

Monosuke began sweating. "I haven't thought this far yet. Honestly, I expected resistance from Monokuma."

Monodam remained silent, as he had been for quite a while.

Kokichi blinked. Was Monokuma right? Were the Monokubs really that useless in ending this killing game? Kokichi shook his head. Control and power still belonged to Monokuma, but Kokichi was certain there was something that he could find out from the Monokubs. The violet haired boy observed how his classmates reacted to the scene. As it turned out, some of the students were devastated that the Monokubs had no plan in place.

"Hmm, so you three don't really have a method to escape from here? I thought you three were in control now." Korekiyo accused with a hint of disappointment veiled under his words.

"Yeah! I'm disappointed in you three!" Miu spoke up.

"Um...give us some time to figure it out." Monosuke replied in a shaky manner. "Until then, don't kill anyone."

With that said, the three Monokubs quickly left the dining hall.

Kokichi blinked. The Monokubs really didn't have any idea what they were getting themselves into. In fact, the supreme leader could relate. Kokichi tried to take control over the killing game by taking the role of the mastermind to lure the true mastermind out. It didn't work, as the real mastermind managed to deceive everyone and work under the shadows. All Kokichi had done was paint a bigger target to himself, but the Monokubs were different. They were taking a different approach by declaring to everyone that the killing game will end. Surely, nobody was going to kill, right?

* * *

"I'm going to kill someone."

As it turned out, Kokichi was wrong. This was definitely an odd circumstance to the violet haired boy. Rantaro was confiding in him that he was going to kill someone. Personally, Kokichi would never have expected Rantaro to kill, let alone tell him about about it. Currently, they were in a secluded area, so it was just Rantaro and Kokichi. The supreme leader wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad thing.

Kokichi took a step back as a precaution. For all he knew, it was possible that he was Rantaro's target. Thus, the violet haired boy placed a hand on his chin. "Hmm, can I ask why are you killing someone and who that target would be?"

Rantaro had a hard look on his face and when he heard Kokichi's question, his face softened. "Relax, it's not you. Personally, I think it's a perfect opportunity to get out of this game and to kill the mastermind. It's killing two birds with one stone."

Rantaro's answer reminded Kokichi of what happened in the first trial in his universe. Kaede had tried to kill the mastermind as well, but that didn't turn out well. The mastermind had managed to one-up her and pinpoint the blame on her. Kokichi was sure of it, the hidden entrance in the girl's bathroom was proof of that and the supreme leader was certain that a girl mentioned that she was in the girl's bathroom the whole time. With Kokichi's knowledge of his original universe, the mastermind was either Himiko, Maki or Tsumugi.

Still, Kokichi wasn't certain why Rantaro called him out. Specifically, why him?

"I need your help," Rantaro answered, which answered Kokichi's internal question. "More specifically, I need to find out who the mastermind is. And since you have the most experience with girls here, I think that you would know who is the most suspicious of the girls. So, who do you think is the mastermind?"

Kokichi was about to retort until he realized that what Rantaro was saying was actually true. The violet haired boy was actually popular with the ladies.

"And don't say you have memory loss. Monokuma already said that you have all your memories." Rantaro warned with a bit of an edge to his tone.

The supreme leader rolled his eyes. His memories were of his original universe, so he really didn't know what happened in this universe. Still, with the newfound knowledge of this universe and all the info he retained in his timeline, he could make an educated guess. "Personally, I think it's either Maki, Himiko or Tsumugi."

Rantaro raised an eyebrow. "You're not protecting anyone, right? Like Kaede, Miu or Kirumi? If they truly have been acting strange, I suggest you please tell me so."

Kokichi earnestly shook his head. "I'm telling the truth."

The blonde studied his expression. Really, Kokichi was certain that one of those three were the mastermind. However, the supreme leader couldn't tell Rantaro that he came from an alternate universe, Rantaro would literally think he was crazy. Thus, Kokichi tried to quickly formulate a sound reasoning.

When Kokichi finally figured out a logical explanation, he turned to face Rantaro. "Listen, I'm very sure that one of the three are the mastermind. Miu revived me, so it's highly unlikely for her to be the mastermind, since I'm certain that the mastermind really wanted me out of the way. As for Kaede, she's almost borderline obsessive towards me. Trust me when I say this, but she is not the mastermind. I can guarantee you that. As for Kirumi...she couldn't have been the mastermind, because she was almost killed in the last trial, right? Then, she couldn't have been the mastermind, because no mastermind would risk their life that easily. Angie is making a student council, so I'm positive that she really wants to stop the killing game. The mastermind is either Maki, Himiko or Tsumugi."

Rantaro pondered Kokichi's explanation before nodding his head and moved towards the exit. "Thanks for the information."

* * *

Cough.

Cough.

Cough.

No way. This wasn't supposed to happen. Blood began to drip on his fingers. Kaito didn't want to die like this and it felt so humiliating for Maki to see him in such a state.

"Kaito?" Maki asked with worry evident on her face. "Are you okay?"

Kaito forced a smile. He couldn't make Maki worry about him. "I'm okay Maki-roll!"

However, the look in her eye told him that Maki didn't believe him. Speaking of Maki-roll, the feisty brunette really wanted him to change his nickname of her, but Kaito verily didn't have a better nickname to call her.

It didn't take long for Maki to connect the dots. The brunette gasped. "Wait, are you the one that's sick?"

The astronaut sighed. "Yes, it's true. I'm the one that's sick and I need that antidote."

Maki looked distraught. Thus, the two of them sat in silence until Maki spoke up, "You know, I can kill someone, so you can get the antidote."

Kaito's hand shook. He really needed that antidote, but to resort to murder? Kaito wasn't sure about that idea at all.

The brunette seemed to notice his hesitation, because she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look, you don't have to kill. I can kill someone, and really, I can just kill Kokichi. Remember, he died? He's not supposed to be here at all, so it's basically slaying an evil spirit. I can get the medicine for you."

The violet haired teen nodded as he listened to Maki's explanation. Kokichi wasn't supposed to be here. Kokichi was an evil spirit. Kokichi had to die.

Maki gave him a weak smile and turned to the exit. "I'm going to find Kokichi and get you that medicine."

As Kaito watched Maki leave, the astronaut felt a sudden dread. Yes, his whole body was in pain, but it wasn't just the pain. It was the sudden realization. Maki was going to kill Kokichi and she would be able to leave this place. Kaito didn't feel comfortable about Maki leaving him here and when she did leave, who could Kaito trust? The astronaut had learned his best friend Shuichi was a psychopath, and Maki leaving him just didn't feel right to him at all.

Additionally, did Monokuma even mention that the motives can be given to other students? What if Monokuma didn't allow Maki to give him the antidote? Bullshit! Kaito didn't want to die here! He hadn't even witnessed space yet! No way was he dying in this crummy place!

Kaito looked around his room to find if there were any sharp objects. As he looked around, the astronaut spotted a knife in his room. Personally, Kaito wasn't why there was a knife in his room, but he was thankful that there was a knife in his room. Kaito now had a weapon to murder someone. No. Kaito shook his head, it wasn't cruel murder. He was going to kill Kokichi, because he was an evil spirit that was haunting over the other students. Kaito was going to commit the deed for noble reasons, while at the same time, he was going to prevent Maki from getting her hands dirty. This wasn't for him, this was for everyone else!

The astronaut nodded his head, picked up the knife and walked out of his room.

* * *

"I would like to suggest a seance." Korekiyo suggested. "We could contact the dead, which might help us get a better understanding of everything here."

"I think that's a great idea," Himiko agreed with pure enthusiasm. "I would love to talk to Tenko."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Angie nodded. "We can see if Atua are guiding these dead souls."

Tsumugi looked frazzled, but she also nodded her head. "Let's do it!"

As he heard the approval of the three girls, Korekiyo smirked. This was a wonderful opportunity for him. He could send a girl to his sister in heaven and he won't be punished for killing a girl. This was all too perfect and he could instantly escape from here. Last, Korekiyo thought about the wish that would be granted. Surely, the Korekiyo back then wished for his sister to return to life, right? Thus, everything seemed too good to be true. In the end, Monokuma's motives trumped whatever the Monokubs were offering.

Korekiyo grinned. "Alright, let's go. There's three vacant rooms on the fourth floor, so we can use one of those rooms."

The three girls followed Korekiyo. However, a card dropped out of one of the three girl's pocket.

* * *

Kaede laid on her bed as she pondered about today's scene. The Monokubs were now in control? But why does it seem like they like they weren't in control at all. Yet, that wasn't her main concern. Right now, she needed to know where was Kokichi? After the scene, he just left. That was a little concerning, since he didn't confide in her at all, but truly, the pianist was worried that someone had got his or her hands on the violet haired boy. Kokichi had made a few enemies here, which Kaede was positive that some of the students here were gunning to kill him, especially with the four motives on the line.

Really, Kaede couldn't stay in her room doing nothing. She needed to find Kokichi. The pianist got off her bed and was about to leave the room when a sudden black and white bear popped up from nowhere.

"Hello Kaede."

The greeting startled Kaede and thus, the pianist fell on the floor. "Monokuma, what are you doing here!?"

Monokuma grinned at her. "Ah, clumsy Kaede. Hmm, I'm just here to talk."

Kaede shook her head. "Well, I don't want to talk to you. Now, if that's all you have to say, I'll be leaving now."

The bear looked saddened by her reply. "Oh well, I was only here to tell you that you can transfer the motives to someone here."

The blonde blinked. That got her full attention. She cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"

Monokuma grinned. "If you kill someone, you can transfer the motives to another student here. Hmm, so you can kill someone here and Kokichi can be able to escape from this dark and evil place, right?"

That got Kaede's full attention. Really, Kaede shouldn't even think about murder, but it would be reassuring to know that Kokichi would be safe from danger and death. Also, that would increase her chances of survival if Kokichi was safe, right? She would be more determined to get out of this killing game to reunite with him. Now that she thought about it, the additional condition really caught her interest. However, Kaede liked to believe that she had morals and she had already promised that they would all get out of here alive, so she would be hypocritical if she broke that promise. Right now, Kaede was in disarray. Her heart was urging her to kill someone, so Kokichi could get out of here alive, while her brain was telling her that it would be foolish and hypocritical of her.

"Can I ask you something? If I do kill someone, would that be kept as a secret?" Kaede asked. Her chances of survival drops if everyone knew that she had killed one of the students here.

Monokuma grinned. "Sure, that would be kept as a secret from everyone. After all, there's no class trial here."

At this point, there was an incentive to kill right now. Kaede couldn't deny that, but she felt so wrong about thinking such a thing. Still, there was one more thing she needed to know. "If I transfer the motives to Kokichi, can I exclude certain motives like the memory part?"

"Yep," Monokuma answered.

Kaede sighed. That part of the motive freaked her out. After all, she didn't want to encounter another crazy person like Shuichi again.

Monokuma grinned at the blonde. "Well, I'm kind of tired now, so I'm going to go."

Before Kaede knew it, Monokuma walked out of her room.

However, there was something on the floor that wasn't there previously. A knife. Did Monokuma leave the knife for her?

Kaede's hand shook as she reached for the knife. When Kaede grabbed the knife, the blonde tried to steel her resolve. She had to do this.

Thus, Kaede walked out of her room with a knife hidden behind her back. She wasn't sure who to target and why she would target that person. Nonetheless, her feet led her to the room of another blonde girl like her.

Miu Iruma.

Kaede's whole body was shaking as she thought about what she was about to do. Nevertheless, she had to do this. Kaede had to get Kokichi out of this hell hole.

Knock. Knock.

"I'm coming!" Miu's voice shouted from inside.

Kaede tightened her grip on the knife. She could do this. She could kill Miu.

* * *

Maki was walking the hallways. She was determined to find Kokichi and slaughter him. Really, Kaito was so idiotic. He should've told her about his sickness. That way, maybe she could've done something about it.

As Maki walked through the hallway, she noticed a card on the floor. It piqued her interest, so she picked up the card.

At that specific moment of time, Rantaro and Kiibo came from the other end of the hallway.

"Hey Maki" Kiibo greeted.

Instinctively, Maki swiftly placed the card in her pocket. She would have time to inspect the card later.

Yet, it seemed that Rantaro saw her briskly place the card in her pocket. With that action, the blonde narrowed his eyes at her.

"Where are you heading?" Rantaro asked. He seemed intent on knowing where she was heading.

"Girl's bathroom." Maki lied. Really, she couldn't tell those two that she was planning to kill Kokichi for the medicine part of the motive. Thus, she quickly walked past them. "I really have to go. Bye."

"Bye Maki" Kiibo waved a goodbye to the brunette.

Rantaro looked displeased as he watched the brunette dash away from them.

"Kiibo, I got to go back to my dorms. I'll talk to you later." Rantaro stated, as he turned around and chased after Maki.

A confused Kiibo watched his two friends leave. Really, the robot needed some company!

* * *

Kiibo was walking through the desolate hallway. Where was everyone?

Perhaps they were all avoiding him? To be honest, Kiibo always felt like everyone here treated him different, because he was a robot. It wasn't fair at all, he didn't ask to be created as a robot. Regardless, he lived his life to the max capacity, but a part of him wished that he was human.

Monokuma's motive about a wish rang through his brain. Kiibo wasn't going to fall for such a blatant lie, but...what if Monokuma wasn't joking? What if he could really make a wish come true? Then, could Kiibo actually become a human? Surely, his robot self must have desired being human before his memories got wiped.

"Ah, hello Kiibo." Gonta greeted, as he walked out of his lab room.

This wasn't the time for him to think about baseless things, so Kiibo smiled at the friendly giant and greeted back, "Hello Gonta."

The Entomologist smiled back. His smile was radiant, as he pulled out a flashback light from his pocket. He spoke, "Gonta found a flashback light in his lab room. Want to see together?"

Kiibo nodded his head. He really did want to know more about his life.

Abruptly, Gonta gasped. "Gonta forgot to check the butterflies. Here, check the light. Gonta will return soon to watch."

Gonta handed him the flashback light and quickly went back into his lab room.

The robot stared at the flashback light. The correct and polite action to take was to wait for Gonta to see the flashback light together, but Kiibo felt quite impatient. He really wanted to know more about his life. Gonta said it was fine, so the robot clicked and faced the light.

Memories started to appear for the robot, as well as some dawning revelations.

The door to the lab room opened again and Gonta sighed. "Phew, butterflies are alright. Hey Kiibo, you alright?"

Bam!

Kiibo slammed Gonta into the wall.

* * *

"Hey Monosuke," Monotaro called out as he nudged the tiger striped Monokub.

"What?" Monosuke replied in a hoarse manner.

Monotaro blinked. "I don't know, I just have a bad feeling today."

"Relax." Monodam reassured. "Nobody is killing anyone today."

"Yeah." Monosuke and Monotaro both agreed.

However, the three Monokubs would soon find out that they were wrong. This time, there were two deaths.

* * *

Surviving Students: 11

* * *

 **Well, this chapter was quite long. Originally, I planned to only cover Kokichi's viewpoint and then reveal who got killed, but I thought it would be a better idea to make it omniscient perspective for this chapter. Thus, I covered more ground on what happened with the other students and how they felt, but there is now a mystery on who killed who and who got killed.**

 **Similar to Danganronpa, there were two deaths this time, but did someone here kill two people? Hmm, what do you think?**

 **There are a lot of mystery on what went down here. Did Kaito or Maki kill Kokichi? Did Korekiyo kill one of the girls? Did Rantaro kill Maki? Did Kaede kill Miu? Did Kiibo kill Gonta? And what about the other character, where was Kirumi? Or did something totally different went down? Send your predictions here everyone, as I would love to hear what you think.**

 **Like I said in the beginning of the chapter, updates are going to be less frequent, because of university, but I do appreciate all the support for this fanfic. So, thank you everyone and until next time!**


	12. Two Deaths

**Hey, I'm back. It's been quite a while. Last chapter, I left you off with a cliffhanger. There were two deaths and anyone could be the suspect or victim. So, without further ado...here's the new chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 12- Two Deaths

* * *

The mastermind grinned. Finally, there was a little spice in this killing game. Although this wasn't what she initially planned, it turned out to be quite successful. After all, two people died this time.

Twirling her hair as she looked at the computer screen, the masked female couldn't stop smiling. It was almost like a chess game. One of these students were messing up her plans, but at the same time, she wasn't going to make it easy for that student. In this case, that student was Kokichi Oma. She knew that something was off about the violet haired boy and keeping the supreme leader in the killing game was going to be quite a pain in the neck.

With a quick turn of her head, she faced the other computer screen. Despite being a huge problem, Kokichi Oma was quite popular to the audience, so it would be quite a shame if that ended too quickly.

Giving a quick stretch of her arms, the mastermind was resolved with her next plans in store. She would play around with the boy and made sure to thwart his plans. It was more fun this way. After all, this would be revenge in its purest form.

Throughout the whole hour, the girl couldn't stop smiling. She'll humour the boy and before he knew what will hit him, it will be game over for Kokichi Oma.

* * *

"Kokichi!" Kaede yelled, as she ran up to him and grabbed his left arm.

The pianist flashed him a bright smile, which the supreme leader reciprocated half-heartedly.

The violet haired boy flashed her a quick wary look before it vanished a second later. After all, Kokichi still wasn't used to all the affection some of these girls have been showering him with. Rather than being hated, he was being adored. That just didn't sit right with him. He was the supreme leader of an evil secret society, yet most of these girls here were treating him as a...hero.

"Hey Kokichi, what's wrong?" Kaede asked with concern written all over her face.

Kokichi didn't get it. Why did all these girls care about him? Weren't they afraid that he could potentially backstab them in the last second with no hesitation?

"Nothing's wrong Kaede," Kokichi reassured her as he plastered on a fake genuine smile.

The blonde pianist gave a sigh in relief. "That's great, I thought it was something I did."

Kokichi gave a curt nod and began to walk to the cafeteria with an eager Kaede joining him, as his arm was being interlocked with hers. Though, it only took him a while to notice that something was amiss. Where was everyone? There was a dreary silence, which only alarmed the violet haired boy. In the morning, the cafeteria should be noisy, but it wasn't today.

Quickly, the boy gave a quick glance in his surroundings. There was no sight of anyone and Kaede was leaning on his shoulder, oblivious to the circumstance around her. To her, this was probably bliss, but Kokichi was beginning to panic. There was no way everyone died, right? And if that was the case, wouldn't this mean he was in the most danger?

Sweat began to form on his forehead. The boy needed to get away from Kaede's grasp and establish a fair amount of distance from her.

"Hey Kaede, do you mind if you let go of my arm?" Kokichi nervously asked before adding, "I really got to stretch, ya know?"

Kaede seemed to be caught off-guard by his request, but she finally relented and let go of her hold on his arm. "Sure Kokichi, anything for you."

The latter part of her reply unnerved the violet haired boy, but he was glad that he achieved some space.

"Shall we go to the cafeteria?" Kaede asked with her usual vigor. "I'm starving."

Kokichi nodded. He too was starving, but he didn't feel confident being ahead of her. "After you."

The blonde nodded and skipped into the cafeteria. Though, the pianist suddenly stopped with an aghast expression as she peered into the cafeteria.

Currently, Kokichi was now curious, so he went over to Kaede's side to see what was wrong. And indeed when the violet haired boy saw what was inside, he too was left speechless.

* * *

Kirumi was currently walking down the halls. It was quiet...too quiet. In fact, she hadn't seen any of the students yet. Was it possible that everyone went on a killing spree? If that was indeed the case, she wouldn't have been surprised. After all, there were four motives to kill someone. The first was the First Blood Perk. Even though she would've liked to deny that motive, it was certainly appealing. Getting out of here should be her first priority and maybe, she'll live her life to the fullest. Instead of worrying about others, she'll focus on herself. A trip to an amusement park didn't sound so bad...

There was definitely nobody else in this hallway, so she decided she might as well head back. With a quick stretch of her arms, the grey haired girl decided to head to the gymnasium. Maybe, she'll play a sport to relax. Though, the idea of playing a sport was quite funny to her. After all, she used to fulfill the need of others, so she really didn't care about her amusement. That ideology definitely changed when she met Kokichi. He was just a burst of spontaneous energy that she couldn't help but be drawn to him. Whereas she was bound by the request of others, he was free. In a sense, she definitely snapped when everyone told her that she was the prime minister. Granted, she didn't get to see her motive video, but that instantly infuriated her, since responsibilities were always pushed towards her.

Kirumi shook her head. She shouldn't think about that anymore. That was the old her. With a few more steps, she was almost at the gymnasium.

Though, before she could enter the gymnasium, she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

* * *

Tsumugi was panicking. She had dropped that card and if the others found out that the cosplayer had dropped it, then that wouldn't turn out well for her.

As she crawled through the floor, a dawning revelation hit her. It was obvious, the card wasn't here. This wasn't good.

* * *

Miu had seen Tsumugi search for something. She didn't know what, but it must have been important. Usually, Miu would laugh at the forgetful and clumsy girl, but she too had lost something as well.

Before Kokichi died, he had instructed her to make a few inventions for him. As usual, the wonderful inventor didn't disappoint, as she had finished making all those inventions. But someone had the audacity to steal her inventions! When she had checked her lab room today, some of her inventions were missing. At first, she thought that she had misplaced the items, but it seemed that was not the case.

Now, she was on the search to see who had stolen those items. She was going to beat up the bastard who stole her inventions!

* * *

Kokichi was in pure disbelief. Out of all the people to get killed, he was certain that this student wasn't going to get killed so easily. And the other would've been a great ally...if he had not been killed. So, it was startling that inside this cafeteria, there was a dead Maki and Rantaro. The most gruesome factor was that there was a tremendous amount of blood. Kaede shied away from the scene and it seemed that she grabbed his arm as a conciliatory measure. He couldn't blame her, anyone would react the same way.

Yet, something seemed really off about this whole scene. More specifically, it was the type of death that each of them went through. Rantaro was stabbed continuously and it seemed Maki had been shot by a gun. Currently, there was a gun in Rantaro's hand, while Maki had a knife in her hand. The first thing Kokichi wanted to do was grab the gun from Rantaro. It would be dangerous if that fell in the wrong hands.

Now that Kokichi thought about it, he recalled Rantaro saying that he was planning to kill someone. And he chose to kill Maki, but now all he needed to know was whether Maki was indeed the mastermind behind this all. No matter what, Rantaro's death wouldn't be in vain. If it turned out that Maki wasn't the mastermind, it was either Himiko or Tsumugi. Rantaro had already proved that the mastermind was indeed a girl with the hidden entrance in the girl's bathroom.

Though first things first, the supreme leader got away from Kaede's grasp and moved towards Rantaro. When he reached Rantaro, the violet haired boy grabbed the gun from his hand and inspected it. It seemed like there wasn't any bullets inside the gun. That's good. For now, he needed to hide the gun, so nobody could access it that easily.

"Upupupu, so what do you think?"

Instantly, the supreme leader whirled around and spotted Monokuma.

"You know something about this?" Kokichi inquired as he narrowed his eyes at the bear. It was quite a displeasure to see Monokuma, since it was proof that Rantaro had targeted the wrong student and the mastermind was still lurking around.

"Upupupu, who knows?" Monokuma grinned. "All I know is that both of these students are dead."

Kokichi rummaged his hair as he pondered Monokuma's answer. If that was the case, he needed to know one thing. "Then, who killed who first?"

"Hahaha, who knows?"

Once again, Monokuma answered his question with a question. This seemed odd to the violet haired boy. In fact, he made sure to mentally note the shift in Monokuma's reply.

"Wait, does this mean you lied about the four motives!?" Kaede suddenly shrieked, which startled Kokichi since he didn't expect an abrupt loud response from her.

"Hey Monokuma, did you lie!? One of these two people killed the other and they didn't receive any of the four motives!" Kaede continued with force in her statement.

Perhaps Monokuma wasn't the only one Kokichi should keep an eye on. Kaede was acting a bit suspicious. It was indeed possible that she was furious at Monokuma for manipulating students to kill each other, but it seemed that it ran deeper than that.

"Hmm, who knows?"

Once again, it was an ambiguous answer. Monokuma had done that three times. Yet, for some reason, this triggered a memory of Kokichi's old lifeline. The supreme leader had initially planned to sacrifice his life, in order to end the killing game, as Monokuma himself wouldn't have known who the suspect and victim was. Though the main difference between that timeline and this timeline was the fact that he was alive right now.

Kokichi shook his head. He was going to need to do a lot of investigation.

* * *

When Gonta opened his eyes, he noticed he was in the school infirmary. Everything was so foggy. He last remembered being with Kiibo, but he had no idea what happened afterwards.

Gonta tried to get up and when he did so, he spotted Kiibo watching him.

"I'm sorry Gonta," the robot sincerely apologized with a bow.

Now, Gonta remembered. Kiibo attacked him. When Kiibo slammed Gonta in the wall, he was in a daze. The robot kept on attacking him, but Gonta didn't want to hurt the robot. It did hurt that his friend Kiibo attacked him, but nonetheless, he was glad Kiibo didn't kill him or anyone in general.

Gonta faced the robot and smiled at him. "It's alright, Gonta forgives."

* * *

Currently, Angie and Himiko were praying to Atua outside.

"Hey Angie, do you think everything's fine?" Himiko quietly asked. "I just have a bad feeling, that's all."

"Don't worry," Angie reassured the smaller girl. "We'll be fine, Atua will take care of us all."

After they prayed, Angie turned to Himiko. "That Korekiyo, he sure was a jerk about the seance yesterday."

Himiko nodded her head slowly. "I did walk to talk to Tenko."

Angie nodded her head. "Exactly and why should a girl be the spirit medium for the seance? We should've let him be the spirit medium."

The mage fiddled with her fingers. "I know you and Tsumugi didn't want to be the spirit medium for the seance, but I was okay with being the spirit medium."

Angie shook her head. "You wanted to talk with Tenko, so you shouldn't be the spirit medium," Angie stated as she patted Himiko's head. "Tsumugi and I didn't want to to do it, so Korekiyo should be okay with doing it himself, but he was such a jerk and kept pushing you towards the middle of the circle."

With Angie's response, the red-haired mage nodded her head fervently. "Yeah, Korekiyo was such a jerk!"

* * *

Quickly, Kirumi spun around in alarm. When she did so, Kirumi noticed it was Korekiyo and he was smirking at her.

"What do you want?" Kirumi challenged. She didn't really want to deal with any of his shenanigans.

There was a glint in his eye. It was evident that Korekiyo wanted something from her.

"Kekeke, I just wanted to greet you."

Kirumi gave a quick nod. She didn't care if Korekiyo greeted her or not. Deciding to ignore his presence, Kirumi reached for the handle of the gymnasium door.

"I wouldn't open that if I were you."

Instead of turning around to face him, she challenged him, "Why not?"

With a quick pull of the gymnasium door, she opened the door. And inside that gym, there was...blood. Or was that paint? She had no idea, but inside the gym, there was a huge message on the gym floor with red letters.

 _"This World Is Mine"_

 _-Kokichi Oma_

* * *

Surviving Students: 11

* * *

 **Well, how was it? How'd you guys feel about this chapter?**

 **Did you predict correctly from last chapter?**

 **Well, this is a pretty long fanfic. I think we're roughly halfway in.**

 **Kind of curious, but who's your favourite character/characters so far? Any predictions on what will happen next? Or who will make it to the end?**

 **Anyways, I hoped you enjoy this chapter!**


	13. This World Is Mine

**Well, I'm back at it. If you guys noticed last chapter, Kaito wasn't there, so I'm going to fill in on the last perspective.**

 **Also, sorry about the super late update** **! It's been over a year and I apologize for the long release. Last year was really hectic and serious, but this time around, I think I got a lot more time! I plan to finish this fanfic and for all you readers out there that are still reading this, I appreciate all the support!**

* * *

Chapter 13- This World Is Mine

* * *

 _Three_ _hours ago before the incident_

Kaito felt like hell. His whole body was betraying him and he felt like he was on the verge of death. Yesterday had sure taken a toll on his body. The astronaut fervently searched for Maki, but it was to no avail.

Currently, the astronaut laid in his bed, waiting for the pain to subside. Although his body was in a tremendous amount of pain, Kaito wondered where Maki was. Usually, she would be the first person to knock on his door and wonder where he was. Without her presence, it felt lonely to be here. And in some ways, he felt pathetic. Everyone was living their life to the fullest and here he was, lying in his bed.

With a sigh, Kaito got up on his feet. He was wobbling, which was a sign that he didn't have much time to live.

"Kaito!" a demonic bear happily called out to him.

Kaito glared at Monokuma and demanded, "What do you want!?"

Unfortunately, his voice must have seemed weak and delated, because Monokuma snickered. But soon enough, Monokuma grinned in a devil-like manner. "Kaito, I have some interesting info for ya!"

* * *

"Kokichi, we need to tell everyone!" Kaede declared.

Kokichi solemnly nodded his head. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Maki was killed. Sure, she hated his guts and he disliked the violent assassin, but it was so much fun to get her riled up! As for Rantaro, that was a big loss. With a sigh, the supreme leader looked around the kitchen again. There wasn't anything particularly out of place and he didn't spot any possible objects that were used in the murder.

"Alright," Kokichi sighed before smirking. "Let's tell everyone the jolly good news!"

* * *

Miu growled. She couldn't believe her luck. All this time and she couldn't find the items and it was becoming more of a possibility that someone could have stolen the items. Grrr, she was pissed!

Grrr. Well, guess a genius needs her food and nutrients. Quickly, she sped up her pace to the cafeteria.

"Kekeke, I see you're in a rush."

Miu spun around, eying the nearby person. It was Korekiyo and he was leaning on a wall. "What do you want, freak?"

Korekiyo snicked. "What a nasty temper." In a span of a few seconds, he was face to face with the inventor. "I found something interesting yesterday. Did you see what happened in the gymnasium?"

"What? Another death? I'm not even surprised anymore." Miu growled out as she crossed her arms.

Another smirk. Miu wanted to wipe the smirk off his face so bad. She wasn't in a good mood and Korekiyo only made her more pissed. So before she could punch the anthropologist, he uttered the words she didn't want to hear.

"It's about Kokichi. In the gym-"

Immediately, Miu ran off towards the gymnasium.

Korekiyo frowned as he watched Miu run down the hallway. "Sure, ignore my answer."

* * *

"Kiibo, would you like to join us on our way to the cafeteria for breakfast?" Angie happily asked with Himiko eying the robot expectantly.

Kiibo nodded. "Affirmative, let's go."

The three of them walked towards the cafeteria and when they opened the door, they were surprised to see a dead Rantaro with multiple stab wounds on his body. Himiko recoiled in shock and both Angie and Kiibo were frowning at the murder scene.

BING-BONG! BING-BONG!

" _A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather to the location of the corpse, the cafeteria."_

"Who would so such a thing?" Himiko quietly asked as she brought her mage hat down her face. "It's terrible."

Angie blinked a few times. "Atua and us will find the culprit behind this murder."

Kiibo stared at the murder with a frown on his face. "Come on, let's go outside the cafeteria and wait for the others to arrive."

* * *

Immediately, Miu entered the gymnasium. It was dark and she couldn't see much. Where were the damn lights?

BIG-BONG! BING-BONG!

" _A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather to the location of the corpse, the cafeteria."_

Miu felt her hands shake. At first, she thought that she entered into a corpse in the gymnasium, but that wasn't the case. Though, Miu did wonder who the unlucky victim would be this time. But for now, she mostly irritated with her situation. Korekiyo mentioned something about Kokichi and the gymnasium, but what was it?

And then, she saw it.

Splattered with red paint...or was that blood? Regardless, the message gave off an ominous chill and briefly, Miu began to wonder why she came here in the first place.

" _This world is mine_ "

-Kokichi Oma

* * *

"Kirumi, did you tell anyone about what you saw in the gymnasium?" Korekiyo asked as he critically analyzed her facial expression.

"No, I did not." Kirumi answered as she sped her pace from the masked boy.

The anthropologist hummed. "You are aware that he will most likely be the culprit in this murder?"

Kirumi gritted her teeth as she tried to ignore him. "You've been quite talkative recently. Care to explain why?"

"I figured I should connect with more people." Korekiyo answered.

The grey haired girl found that suspicious, but she did not question him further. As she looked up ahead, she spotted Angie, Kiibo and Himiko in front of the cafeteria door.

"So, who was the victim?" Korekiyo asked as he caught up with Kirumi.

Kiibo took a step forward and closed his eyes. "It was Rantaro."

* * *

"Gonta no can believe Maki and Rantaro die."

Tsumugi frowned as she placed a hand on her forehead. "I can't believe that happened."

"Well, believe it." Kokichi quickly answered. "Because we both saw the scene."

Kaede shook her head. "It was horrible. I can understand there being a death, but two? That's the first time this happened."

As the four of them turned right, they spotted Miu up ahead.

"Miu!" Kaede called out. "We're behind you."

The inventor turned her head around. "Come on, you slowpokes! We have to head to the cafeteria!"

* * *

"Upupupu, well, here's the Monokuma file!" Monokuma smirked as he handed Kirumi the file.

Before Kirumi could look carefully at the file's contents, the cafeteria door opened. Miu, Kaede, Gonta, Tsumugi and Kokichi entered into the cafeteria.

"I guess everyone's here, but Kaito." Tsumugi said as she carefully looked at everyone present in the cafeteria. "Do you think-"

"Pfft," Kokichi scoffed as he waved the idea away. "He'll be fine. Either that or he's crying his eyes out about the death of Maki."

Himiko turned to him. "Hey! Isn't that a bit mean?"

The supreme leader placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Kaito's a big boy. He'll manage."

Korekiyo gave a small laugh and pointed at Kokichi. "Kekeke, aren't you being very suspicious? Why are you insinuating about Maki when she isn't present here? And who said anything about Maki's death?"

At that moment, Kaede and Kokichi turned around to look at the crime scene. But instead of two dead bodies, there was only one. Rantaro's dead body.

"Huh?" Gonta wondered as he scratched his head. "Kokichi and Kaede said two dead bodies."

"Did you two lie about this?" Tsumugi asked as she took a few steps backward from the pair and was now behind Gonta.

"I would like to point some information that I found out." Korekiyo announced. "In the gymnasium, Kokichi wrote a message with blood that the world is his."

Some gasps were heard within the cafeteria. The most notable and loud gasps were from Kaede, Himiko and Gonta.

Kokichi frowned. Well, this was quite unexpected. This time around, he played no part in writing a message. Was it his past self, the one before he died? Or was it possible that someone was planning to frame him for the murder? The latter sounded more realistic in his opinion. After all, it was plausible that he caught the ire of the mastermind behind this murder game. Well, he could play this off.

"I'm a supreme leader!" Kokichi happily announced and looked everyone in the eye. "World domination has to be a goal of mine."

As Kokichi analyzed everyone's reactions, he noted that a good handful of students were relieved that he was in a playful mood like Kaede, Himiko, Miu, Kirumi and Gonta. That's excellent! But he observed that not everyone had a nice reaction to his declaration. Angie and Tsumugi were disturbed by the newfound knowledge, while Kiibo and Korekiyo were looking at him with hatred and distrust in their expressions.

There was silence and some tension among some students. After a few seconds, Kirumi coughed to get everyone's attention. "Let's work on the investigation." Kirumi looked at the Monokuma file.

 _The victim was Rantaro Amami. The victim's body was discovered in the dining hall. The estimated time of death was 4:44am. The victim was subjected to multiple knife stabbings in the arm, hand, leg and stomach. The victim was repeatedly stabbed, though none of the stab wounds resulted in immediate death._

"Kokichi, you mentioned there were two dead bodies when you arrived? So, where is Maki?" Angie cheerfully asked, but if Kokichi looked closely, he could notice the intense gaze she had on him.

Kokichi placed his hand on his chin and began to think. "Hmm, it's possible she's still alive? We didn't check heart rates or pulses, since we noticed there was a lot of blood. You should've seen it! Either that or one of us moved the dead body."

"Both cases are possible," Kirumi nodded. "Should we split into two groups and investigate for clues? Five members for each group?"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Kaede and Miu rushing over to Kokichi's side. Kirumi rushed to Kokichi's side when she saw the two girls were already on his left and right respectively.

"Kekeke, I suppose I'll join." Korekiyo smirked, as he walked towards the direction of Kokichi's group.

"Ok!" Angie happily said, as she looked at her group. "Let's search for some evidence."

* * *

"Why are we standing in front of our dorms?" Kaede asked as she rubbed her shoulder. "Shouldn't we be near the crime scene?"

"We did in the morning, although there was a major change that happened over there. But I think it's best we leave it to other group," Kokichi answered as he stretched his arms. "What I'm really curious is what's inside all your rooms. So, how about we all enter into each person's room?"

Korekiyo nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds like a brilliant idea, but how about you go first?"

The supreme leader stuck his tongue out slightly at the challenging tone. "Don't trust me, eh? Well, sure. It's not like I have anything to hide."

"Hey! I don't like this idea!" Miu screamed. "Why should we let this freak enter our rooms?"

Kaede quickly nodded her head in agreement. "I don't like this idea either."

Kokichi turned to both girls with raised eyebrows. "Don't tell me that you two got something to hide?" The supreme leader took a few steps forward and opened his room. "Come on inside everyone, here's my room."

The room was neat and everything was in order. There was a journal on his bed and a few books and paper airplanes on his desk.

"Typical room." Korekiyo commented. "Come, I'll show you mine."

Kokichi and Kirumi nodded. "Let's go."

At the same time, two blondes were sweating a lot about the prospect that four students were going to witness her room. And both girls were dreading the worst.

* * *

"Hmm, there's a lot of blood heading that way." Angie pointed at the direction of the blood. "Atua thinks that Maki is still alive."

Himiko nodded her head. "If that's what Atua says, it must be true."

Tsumugi placed her hand on her chin. "But what if the body was moved? And blood happened to lead in that direction."

Angie nodded and turned towards Tsumugi, Gonta and Kiibo. "Atua's good will descends upon us. We shall make a difference. Would you three like to officially join the student council?"

* * *

"And that's my room." Korekiyo smiled at the group as they exited his room.

Kokichi frowned. "I expected the room to a bit more interesting, but oh well."

"Hey, Kaito's room is slightly open." Kaede pointed at the open door.

A sparkle in Kokichi's purple eyes appeared. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's bug Kaito!"

Kaede took his enthusiasm and the group's focus on Kaito's room as a chance for her to quickly enter her room. She slowly backed away from the group until she ended up bumping into Kirumi.

Kirumi sent her a dark glare. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Nowhere...was just...planning to go to the bathroom!" Kaede quickly answered.

Kaede was feeling nervous. Kirumi had sent her a look that basically insinuated that she didn't her. Before she could rush to her room, Kirumi grabbed her arm and her hold was iron-clad tight.

"Let's go, we have to follow them." Kirumi stated.

"What the heck!?" Miu screamed once she entered Kaito's room.

The pianist tried to ignore this bad feeling she had and thus, she rushed into Kaito's room.

Blood. A lot of blood. All Kaede could see was red. And it was making her nauseous.

"Keke, do you see anything that will provide us a clue?" Korekiyo asked. "Cause I spot one. The knife over there. It's covered in blood."

Kaede took a step back.

Kirumi closed her eyes and nodded her head. "The answer is simple. Kaito killed Rantaro."

* * *

Angie grinned at her new members of the student council club. "Atua is proud of us. But first, I have important news to tell you all."

"Oh, what is it that Atua requires of us?" Tsumugi asked. "We shall try our best to complete it, as it relates to our safety and health!"

"Gonta agrees."

Kiibo nodded his head, "Affirmative."

"Do you guys remember the second trial?" Angie asked.

Himiko nodded her head. "The case where Shuichi poisoned Kokichi."

Tsumugi slowly nodded her head as well. "Yeah, Shuichi was really scary and freaky that day."

"It was also the day we learned Maki was the Ultimate Assassin." Kiibo added in.

Angie clapped her hands together. "Great points. But I had Korekiyo's motive video and what I'm telling you all is completely serious. Atua was there that day."

All four of them looked at her, waiting for the news she was about to give them.

"Atua believes Korekiyo has committed a major sin." Angie stated. "In his motive video, I learned that Korekiyo killed girls for his dead sister."

* * *

The group walked out of Kirumi's room. There was nothing out of the ordinary in her room, although Kokichi had to admit that it was different and odd in a weird way that Kirumi ditched her maid outfit and she had tons of knitting clothes on her bed. Kokichi looked back at Kirumi. Instead of a typical maid outfit he expected to see, he was met with a grey blouse and grey skirt. It was still a shock, even though it's only been a few days ever since he came into this world.

And after a few seconds, Kokichi's thoughts drifted back to Kaito and his room. Kokichi didn't expect to see his room be covered in blood, but he supposed it was possible, especially if Kaito was still sick in this world. But the knife? That was new and he kind of expected the kind astronaut to not have the guts to kill or attack someone.

"Your room, Miu?"

Miu closed her eyes and opened the room.

There was some inventions on her desk, but Kokichi noticed there were tons of sex toys in her room. The supreme leader sent her a distasteful look, "Why am I not surprised? You're a filthy cum dumpster."

Miu took a step back with an expression of shock. "C-Cum dumpster?"

Kirumi had a joyous smirk on her face, Kaede was nervous and Korekiyo looked around her room.

"Hmm, what's this?" Korekiyo asked as he grabbed a knife from the corner of her room.

"A knife!? Oh my god!" Kokichi yelled in an exaggerated manner. "Then, that means...Miu killed Rantaro! Not only is she a cum dumpster, she's also a killer. Who knew?"

"Hey, wait a second! Kokichi, you're supposed to be on my side!" Miu loudly responded. "And no, I didn't kill anyone...I couldn't."

The last part was a low mutter, but the violet haired boy heard her. But before he could say anything, Kirumi grabbed his wrist and led him out of her room.

"Let's get out of this room." Kirumi insisted. "You'll lose brain cells by just standing there."

"I agree." Korekiyo nodded his head in agreement. "And here I thought, she was actually a smart and kind person after what I witnessed in the second trial."

Something about Korekiyo's statement was too funny. The supreme leader snickered, "Which part? The smart part or the kind part? But regardless, I think you hit your head pretty hard."

Kaede was appalled. She couldn't believe how Kokichi treated Miu. It was unlike him. Sure, the pianist did want Kokichi to love her, but that was just way too cruel. Wait a second, if that was how he reacted to Miu's room, how would the supreme leader react when he saw her own room? This was not good. She needed to divert their attention and she needed to do it as soon as possible!

* * *

Miu sniffed as she tried to remove the tears that welled up within her eyes. She knew he was disgusted with her. A small part of her initially hoped that he wouldn't treat her differently based on the _hobbies_ she loved, but she was wrong.

Though, another part of her felt that Kokichi was acting differently. Ever since the inventor revived him, he's been acting more cold and mean towards her. And although a part of her liked that Kokichi called her names and insults, she mostly felt shame at this very moment.

Miu took a quick glance at a nervous Kaede. What was Kaede so nervous about? The pianist's love was pure, while all she did was lust after sex and Kokichi. Miu knew her face was heating up and thus she began to think up of different thoughts. Anything to distract her dirty mind.

For some reason, she thought of the knife that Monokuma had given her. Sure, she had taken the knife, but she regretted the action immediately. She didn't have the courage to kill. As for the sex toys...

"Kokichi!" Miu roared. "I'm no longer into any of these sex toys, I'm going to throw all of these away! I'm not going to be a whore or twat, I'll make sure I'm the perfect lover! You can believe that!"

Kokichi turned around and Miu spotted a smirk...or was that a small smile? She could detect his amusement, as he had a small sparkle in his eyes. But instantly, his smile vanished as he turned back around. "Sure, whatever ya say Miu."

The inventor stared at Kokichi. He sounded as if he couldn't pull such a feat. Well, she would show him! And then, she'll wow him! After all, who can resist the beauty of the perfect Miu Iruma?

* * *

"Well, we should check with the others on their information." Kaede stated. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Hold up," Korekiyo said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "We still need to see your room."

"Kaede, it's only fair that I have to go through public humiliation alone!" Miu loudly complained. "It's only fair we get to see your room!"

Kaede gulped. She knew that there was nothing she could do now. With dread in her stomach, she sighed and pushed open her room.

Everyone immediately gasped.

Inside Kaede's room were two large posters of Kokichi Oma. One large poster was his sleeping figure and the other large poster was his back-side form. There was also a drawing and effigy of Kokichi.

Kokichi blinked. And blinked again. This couldn't be possible. Kaede had a major crush on him? To the point where it's considered yandere? In all honesty, Kokichi was feeling confused and disturbed. How did this happen? If Kokichi remembered correctly, Kaede had a crush on Shuichi! What happened? What made this possible? No, he should've expected this. He was a fool to forget that incident. Kaede had picked his lock on the door and entered his room to sleep with him! The Kokichi before taught her how, and it only made him wish terrible thoughts on past Kokichi. Luckily, when he asked Kaede to stop doing such things, she reluctantly agreed and the supreme leader pushed that memory way out of his head, but this case was different. She was literally obsessed with him!

It was official. Kaede was number one on his list of girls to avoid.

"I see, so you have three deadly weapons with you." Korekiyo stated. "That's suspicious, don't you think so, Kaede?"

Kokichi shook his head and searched for weapons. He must have been super appalled before, because he had initially failed to notice the knife on her bed, sword on the corner of her room and gun on her desk.

Before Kokichi could say or think of anything, he felt a hand grab his wrist and guided him out of her room. This time, Kokichi needed to get out of that room immediately and he appreciated the gesture from Kirumi.

"You two weirdos need to stay away from us." Kirumi loudly declared as she glared at the two blondes. "Come on Kokichi, let's leave."

The supreme leader nodded, but he didn't have the strength to move too much or think for that matter. What he saw was devastating and if his hunch was correct...then Kaede was a yandere. A tired smile planted on his face as he said, "Lead the way, mom."

Kirumi flicked his forehead and smiled back at him. "We're the same age. It's Kirumi, not mom."

* * *

"Well, that was an interesting revelation," Korekiyo noted.

Miu grunted as she began to walk away from the two of them. "Don't talk to me. You and Kaede, don't talk to me."

Korekiyo watched Miu angrily stomp off, but she headed in the opposite direction of Kokichi and Kirumi.

"He hates me." Kaede muttered.

Korekiyo took a quick glance at Kaede. She was crying and her face was contorted in despair. Even though Kokichi may find her unusual and weird right now, the masked boy believed otherwise. Kaede was a dedicated student who truly loved the people she trusted. She was affable and any girl would be in good grace with Kaede. She was smart, playful and beautiful.

"Kaede, I know a way to head back in time for a few hours. It's called the Séance. Would you like to try it out?"

Immediately, Kaede brightened up and her eyes glowed. "Really, you can do that for me, Korekiyo? Thank you! It'd be my pleasure to do the Séance."

How naïve. She had just entered her doom, but at least, she'll enter heaven. And her sister will have another friend.

* * *

"So, this is the message? That Kokichi! How vile! Always thinking he's better than everyone!" Kiibo loudly complained. "I can't stand him! And he makes robophobic jokes!"

Gonta read the message again. "Gonta no can believe Kokichi could mean such a thing!"

Tsumugi looked at the message and groaned, "I'm more concerned about the red paint. It looks too much like blood."

"Oh?" Angie asked. "That's because it is blood!"

"Huh? It's blood?" Himiko warily asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'm an artist. I can tell if it's red paint and it's not." Angie answered. "It's real blood."

Kiibo tightened his fists. "That Kokichi!"

Angie nodded. "Besides Korekiyo, I think Kokichi is the culprit. He's extremely dangerous and is a threat to our student council."

"What do we do with threats?" Gonta asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Angie smiled as she gave the giant a hug. "Because as student council members, we eliminate threats."

* * *

Two hours later, everyone went to the class trial.

"Upupupu, remember students. You guys only need to find the first blackened." Monokuma stated. "The first student who made the kill. The second, third or fourth kills don't matter. It's all about who made the first kill!"

"I can't believe we're forced to participate in this." Monosuke grumbled.

Monotaro looked around. "What should we do?"

"We need to escape." Monodam stated.

"You Monokubs need to learn your lesson. Enjoy being tied up to that stool and watching another lovely class trial!" Monokuma laughed. "Except this class trial has some missing members, I see."

Kokichi looked around. Who was present? Miu. Kirumi. Angie. Himiko. Gonta. Kiibo. Tsumugi. Himself. There were only eight members present.

"Hey Monokuma! Is this a joke!?" Miu demanded. "There's only eight people here, so how can we start this?"

"I agree, we can't start this class trial!" Tsumugi nodded her head in agreement.

"Upupupu, let's just say that I'm a nice headmaster and I'm ok with them not coming to the class trial." Monokuma answered as he darkly grinned at the students. "Let's call this revenge for all the past atrocities you have done to poor old me!"

"That's not fair!" Himiko loudly screamed.

Monokuma placed his paws in front of his mouth and laughed. "Upupupu, who said anything about fair? And besides, they share your fate. So, it's not like they will be exempt from death if you all fail. And if the missing student is the blackened, well, that just sucks to be you guys!"

"Monokuma, did the blackened get the chance to use the first blood perk?" Kokichi asked.

Monokuma grinned. "Who can say? Maybe he used it? Maybe he didn't? That's what you runts got to figure out!"

"I assume this will be the first and last time these conditions will be held? Or will this be a regular occurrences in future class trials?" Kirumi asked, as she narrowed her eyebrows.

"Upupupu, I can see all the fear and worry on your faces! Worry not! Since I am such a kind headmaster, this will be the only time I allow students who are alive to not come to class trials." Monokuma explained. "And Kokichi, about that first blood perk, you can use the first blood perk anytime as long as you're not in a class trial!"

"Then, the killer is either Maki, Kaito, Kaede or Korekiyo." Himiko suggested. "They're the only students that are not present in this class trial!"

Most of the students nodded their heads, but Kokichi felt that their attention was getting misdirected. It made sense that the killer had to be one of the four missing students, but his gut was telling him otherwise.

"Let's start this class trial!" Monokuma announced.

"Stop!" a voice roared out. "Do not forget about me, I'm doing this damn class trial!"

Kokichi looked up and when he saw the person, he nearly fainted.

"Where have you been all this time?" Angie asked with shock on her face.

"Gonta surprised!"

The supreme leader frowned, as red eyes connected with his. This was terrible...Maki was there and she was glaring daggers at Kokichi.

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed. "Let's get this class trial started!"

* * *

Surviving Students: 9? 10? 11?

* * *

 **So, what are your thoughts about this chapter?**

 **Any predictions on who the blackened is?**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this update!**


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